"Daily Word" Echoes
P.O.BOX 30, MORIYAMA POST OFFICE, NAGOYA 463 Tel.(052)794-6422
MAY 31, 1992 Number 38 \200
(Essays submitted by listeners on themes of "Daily Word" telephone messages
between March 31 and May 5, 1992 and other "echoes" of this telephone service
Corrected and edited by Clark Offner.)

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March 31 Message (Subject #212)

Many contrasts between Japanese and
American patterns of thought and ways of
doing things can be pointed out, but these
two nations also have a number of similarities
One similarity is the national interest
in baseball. Baseball was developed in
the United States after a sport with that
name was introduced from England 150
years ago. Baseball is a team sport in
which teamwork is required even though
certain individual stars may shine. It has
become very popular in Japan since it was
introduced from America over a century
ago. A more traditional Japanese sport is
sumo, whose history stretches back over
many centuries Sumo is an individual competition
which is still combined with many
ritualistic customs Sumo and Baseball
was the theme for discussion at our "Daily
Word" Fellowship Meeting last Sunday and
is the suggested theme for essays this
week You may write an essay on one or the
other or compare and contrast them in the
same essay. Which do you prefer and why?
In what ways do you think Japanese baseball
differs from American baseball? Do
you think national characteristics are evident
in these sports?

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The March sumo tournament ended with
Konishiki gaining his third championship.
He got married to a Japanese lady just before
the tournament, so we can easily imagine
how he wished to maintain his reputation
and bask in the glory of his victory.
With tearful eyes he said that he would present
the honor to his wife. He will be promoted
to yokozuna, or grand champion if he
is able to win the .championship again in
the next tournament in May.
This is the age of internationalization
and sports are no exception. It was some
time ago that foreign players appeared in
Japanese professional baseball. We were
not so reluctant to see foreign (mainly
American) athletes on Japanese baseball
teams because that sport developed in the
United States and we are, so to speak, followers
in this area. Of course, the rules of
baseball are universal so foreign players
can integrate themselves into Japanese
teams without much difficulty. Our baseball
association rather has to limit the
number of foreign athletes on one team,
otherwise Japanese players would be driven
out of the teams by foreign power.
Judo is another traditional sport in
Japan, but it has followed a different path
from sumo in becoming internationalized.
Judo has been introduced widely throughout
the world since early times and matches
are held in many countries today using
the original Japanese technical terms. We
are proud of the fact that it has become so


2    MAY 31, 1992    "DAILY WORD" ECHOES

internationalized that it has become one of
the Olympic competitions.
Sumo is a little different from judo.
The sumo tradition of wrestling naked,
wearing only a mawashi, or loincloth, has
tended to be eschewed by foreigners, but
recently a sumo tournament was held in
London that gained public favor. We are
happy that the naked wrestlers were accepted
by the English viewers without reluctance.
But the sumo world still persistently
maintains its peculiar Japanese tradition.
A foreigner must have courage to
follow the traditional customs if he wants
to become a sumo wrestler. There was a
time when Konishiki was criticized for
boasting, "Sumo is fighting" and "there is
nothing I'm afraid of", but gradually he began
to talk about the severity and depth of
sumo. When Akebono competed with Takahanada
for the championship in January, he
received many harassing telephone calls
urging him to yield to Takahanada. Konishiki
also thought at one time that he was
"hated by Japanese sumo fans". There probably
is an exclusivistic consciousness in
Japanese society that engenders such reactions.
Sumo wrestlers Konishiki and
Akebono cause us to reflect not only on the
sumo world but on Japanese society also.
We should welcome "Yokozuna Konishiki"
when the time comes.
(MIKIHIKO YOSHIMOTO. Gifu)

Baseball is an imported sport, but sumo
is native to Japan. I do not know the
detailed rules of these sports but I enjoy
watching them on television.
I presume that boys like to play baseball,
but recently I do not see boys or girls
playing out-of-doors. Baseball requires
nine players, usually dressed in uniforms,
and such implements as a bat and a ball
along with a large playing area. On the
other hand, only two persons can compete
in sumo and they wear only a mawashi,
which is one long piece of cloth. They use
no implements and need only a small, circular,
sandy place. There are many contrasts
between these two sports, but I
think the same competitive spirit is seen
in both. (MICHIKO SANO, Minami, Nagoya)

When I was an elementary school pupil,
I often had sumo matches on the lawn with
my brother who was three years younger. I
was strong. One day his friend challenged
me. I won the first bout but the second
bout I lost, although I don't know why.
After many years, I met him unexpectedly
at my younger brother's wedding. I
said to him, "Hello. We, sumo-wrestled together,
didn't we?" "We played at cat's
cradle together," he answered.
(YASUKO IZUMI, Seto)

As the reason they don't like sumo,
many people say that they dislike looking
at such big, extremely fat, naked wrestlers.
When I was young), I felt the same way
and didn't watch sumo. But nowadays, I enjoy
watching it on television and discussing
with my friends about the wrestlers
and whether they will win or lose on a certain
day. When giant wrestlers are beaten
by smaller ones, like Mainoumi or Kyokudozan,
I get very excited and unconsciously
clap my hands. I don't have time to watch
all the matches so I enjoy watching the
sumo digest program at night and reading
sumo-related articles in the newspaper.
By the way, my interest in sumo was
stimulated many years ago when I heard an
interview with Takanosato, the new grand
champion. He told of his long, difficult
struggle with diabetes and what supported
him at that time was his friendship with
the former grand champion, Wakanohana
who came to Tokyo on the same Tohoku
night train. After hearing his story, I was


MAY 31, 1992    "DAILY WORD" ECHOES    3

interested in him, began to watch sumo
matches and became fascinated with sumo.
(YOSHIKO TOYOTA, Kanie, Aichi)

As far as my personal experience is
concerned, I still remember having sumo
bouts with my father and brother when I
was a small boy. If I wasn't defeated so
quickly as they had expected, they could
tell how much stronger I had become. I
never wrestled naked except for a loincloth
but I did enjoy such sumo wrestling
with my clothes on. In my childhood, Wakanohana,
Kashiwado and Taiho were the
most famous wrestlers and my father often
read me the success story of Wakanohana
in which he impressively emphasized
the importance of diligent work.
Concerning baseball, Nagashima and Oh
were heroes for us small children. Whenever
we played softball or baseball, we
dreamed of becoming a Nagashima or an Oh.
Since I was a pitcher in my elementary
school days, I liked Kaneda.
Now I seldom watch professional baseball
games or sumo matches on television,
but when I do watch them i can do nothing
else. I get too excited about each bout to
even study English.
Having commented on these two sports
I would mention them if I were asked to
indicate two characteristic sports of Japan,
but I am afraid baseball is given too
much attention as if it were the only popular
sport among Japanese young people. Go
to any junior or senior high school and you
will soon notice the preferential treatment
given to its baseball team. Expenditures
for the baseball club are extremely
high and many baseball teams have large
playing grounds. I think it is unfair and
this prejudice in favor of baseball is due
to the very frequent telecasts of baseball
games, whether amateur or professional.
(TOMOYASU KIMURA, Nishi, Nagoya)

The theme of baseball reminds me of a
friend whose entire life was related to
baseball. When I entered middle school, I
met him for the first time. He was about
two years older than I and was rather more
active on the playground than in the classroom.
He was a member of the baseball
team, a right-handed pitcher, and could
throw very fast balls. The team members
hoped to play at least once in the Koshien
Stadium but their dream was not realized
because another famous team defeated
them in the area finals. After graduating
from our school, he was admitted to Rikkyo
University. Even though he was a freshman,
he became an ace pitcher in the Big-Six
University Baseball League Tournament.
After the war, I found his name in the
newspaper. He had come to Nagoya as a
chief of one of Japan's largest iron manufacturing
companies. Then he was transferred
to the Osaka Branch Office. Just
then, there was a House of Councillors election.
The brother of the company president
became a candidate and the company ordered
him to be the head of the election
campaign office. Unfortunately, election
irregularities in his office were revealed.
He was arrested, found guilty and went to
jail for about a year. Ironically, the candidate
won the election due to his efforts.
After he was freed, the company rewarded
him by making him president of a related
company, a leading sink tank company.
I met him at a class meeting at our Alma
Mater about a decade ago. He called a
taxi because he had a knee problem. It was
the last time I saw him. Several years ago,
he passed away. I often think about what
baseball meant to him.
(TSUYOSHI HAMADA, Minami, Nagoya)

I like watching the high school baseball
tournament games on television. It is
very enjoyable to see the youngsters on


4    MAY 31, 1992    "DAILY WORD" ECHOES

one team putting forth a great effort to
compete with a rival team. In fact, every
team member does his best to help his
team win the game or to hinder the opponents
from getting more runs.
In order to participate in what is going
on as much as possible, I make it a practice
to side with whichever team happens
to be weaker when I start watching the
game. I cheer the team I support with
mounting enthusiasm. What makes the
game more exciting is to predict which
team will gain an advantage, every moment
keeping an eye on the ball. I am happy if my
prediction turns out to be right; otherwise,
I simply utter a sign of disappointment.
I could point out some facets of national
characteristics manifested in baseball
games played by Americans and Japanese
if I saw some American games. I have
hardly seen any, except for bits of them
broadcast on television.
(SHOJI SUGIMOTO, Suginami, Tokyo)

I'd like to write a little about Shiki
Masaoka, a great haikupoet of the Meiji Era
who loved baseball.
As you may know, baseball was introduced
into Japan at the beginning of the
Meiji era by foreign teachers and missionaries
and gradually became popular, especially
among students. In those days, Shiki
was a student of the Dai-ichi Kato Chugakko,
an upper secondary school (later renamed
Ichiko). Deeply interested in this
very entertaining sport, he composed poems,
wrote a good deal about baseball and
even submitted a translation of baseball
terms to a Japanese newspaper. It is said
that some of his translations are still
heard today--for example, shokyu for ball,
tosha for pitcher, dasha for batter, sosha
for runner and so on.
I was surprised to learn that Shiki was
one of the early baseball enthusiasts who
were very closely involved with the origin
of these Japanese words. There are beautiful
portions of tanka which describe his reaction
to baseball. Let me share two of
them with you: Imaya kano mittsu no base
ni hito michite, sozoroni mune no uchisawagu
kana (When three bases are loaded,
my heart trembles and I feel the excitement);
Hisakatano Amerikajin no hajmenish
baseball wa mired akanukamo (I
never tire of watching baseball that came
from America).
(SADAE HASHIMOTO, Minami, Nagoya)

I rather prefer baseball to sumo because
the nine team members are refined
and cooperative and use their brains to win
games. American baseball teams are agile
and alert in their movements. Each player
tries to please the spectators. The one who
catches the ball turns and whirls around as
the ball drops into his glove. I was so surprised
and impressed watching the scene
on television a few years ago that I have
never forgotten it. I appreciated the fact
that they were performing for the spectators
as professionals. As may be expected,
baseball is the national sport of America,
which is its birthplace. On the contrary,
Japanese baseball teams move more slowly
and do not provide professional performances
for spectators.
Sumo is the national sport of Japan
and has been one of the traditional ceremonies
since it was introduced from Mongolia
in the pre-Christian era. It is a custom
to sprinkle much salt onto the round
rink (now 445 centimeters in diameter).
Before the contest, each of the two wrestlers
sprinkle salt again, to purify the rink.
I think much salt is imported. Sumo is so
simple that victory or defeat is decided in
a moment. It may be that the unique style
of sumo wrestlers (portly bodies, undressed,
except for a wide, colored belt) is


MAY 31, 1992    "DAILY WORD" ECHOES    5

disagreeable to foreigners. I think that is
the reason that sumo does not spread in
foreign countries.
Baseball represents well the characteristics
of Americans: cheerful, humorous,
generous and considerate of others. Sumo
is rather combative. Some Japanese liked
combat in ancient times. As most Japanese
are impatient, they may like to see a quick
result of victory or defeat.
Night baseball games were discontinued
because of the oil shock about 20
years ago, but soon afterwards they began
again. I suggest that night games had better
be discontinued from now on to save
electric power. Baseball is a contest of
wits and sumo is a contest of strength. It
is said that, recently, Japanese baseball
does not appeal to many in the younger generation
and that sumo fans are increasing.
(TAMAKO MORIMOTO, Tsuyama)

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April 7 Message (Subject #213)

The English words creed, credence,
credulity and credit are all rooted in the
some Latin word meaning to believe. A
creed is a formal statement of religious
belief Credence means belief, and credulity
is a disposition to believe too readily.
Credit means belief in the truth of something
and is now used to denote the particular
belief in a buyer's ability and intention
to fulfil financial obligations. Buying
goods on credit has become common in recent
years and is now even more popular
since the advent of credit cards Using
credit card, a person may easily obtain
expensive items even if she or he cannot
pay for them when the purchase is made.
Eventually, however, payment must be made
and those who use credit cards unwisely
will be embarrassed when payment is due
if money is not available, just as people
who presume on the mercy of Cod may be
upset on the coming Day of Judgment. What
do you think about credit cards? Do you
ever use them? What are their advantages
and disadvantages? Do you consider them
basically helpful or harmful?

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I stubbornly refuse to get a credit card
because I. fear losing it or having it stolen.
Almost every year, a very prestigious
American bank sends me an application
form for a credit card, but I always throw
it into the wastebasket.
A few years ago, a bank employee of
my main bank sent me a credit card bearing
my name without my consent. He may
have thought he was doing me a favor, but I
couldn't accept it, because it went against
my principles, so I gave it back to him.
I know a young wife who used many
credit cards, went several million yen into
debt and is now applying for self-bankruptcy
in court. She is now living apart from
her husband and two daughters.
I may have a "credit card phobia".
(TSUYOSHI HAMADA, Minami, Nagoya)

We now live in a cashless society
where we can carry on our daily activities
without carrying cash. There are roughly
three kinds of cards which support the
cashless society: cash cards, prepaid cards
and credit cards. Cash cards are cards
issued by financial institutions such as
banks, with which deposits and withdrawals
can be made by machine. Prepaid cards
are cards which are literally purchased by
prepayment. NTT's telephone cards and JR's
Orange Cards are typical examples. In addition


6    MAY 31, 1992    "DAILY WORD" ECHOES

to these, gas stations, laundries, restaurants,
etc. have recently adopted this
system. Credit cards, the third kind, are
cards by which we can purchase commodities
and receive various kinds of services
such as loans without using cash. In this
case, payment is required afterward.
The number of credit cards issued as
of the end of March 1992 came to 173 million,
which amounts to more than one card
for everyone in the country, including babies.
The "credit ratio" (a ratio of purchasing
amount by credit cards in a disposable
income) is 25% in the United States and
has recently reached 15% here in Japan
(though the figures are a little old). There
is intense competition among card-issuing
companies. When a person has more than
one card and when a single card can be
used for various purposes, a card without a
special charm is rarely used. This is called
a "sleeping card". Thus, card-issuing companies
are making efforts to increase the
attractiveness of their cards. They improve
their various services, cooperate
with other companies to increase the usefulness
of their cards, issue cards with
added prestige and cards that can conveniently
be used abroad. This acute competition
has given birth to a new word: "cardwar".
At present, they are making a concerted
effort to spread their cards among
students. As a natural consequence, there
are an increasing number of people, mainly
young people, who make many purchases
beyond their financial means and, worst of
all, fall into bankruptcy.
It was reported that when an institute
opened "Credit No. 110", many calls were
received from parents saying, "My underaged
child is heavily in debt due to buying
on credit." This is certainly an evil brought
about by the cashless society. I feel miserable
to see this situation of young people
who cannot accurately foresee the result
of their own stupid acts. It is nothing
but a reflection of their easygoing way of
life. I think that we adults should not use
credit cards in front of small children. If
we do, they may get the false impression
that they can get whatever they want with
a single, small card. A father earns money
by the sweat of his brow and gives it to
his wife for living expenses and to his
children as pocket money. Through this
process, children will understand the
meaning of labor and the value of money.
(MIKIHIKO YOSHIMOTO, Gifu)

Whenever I go shopping at Uny or the
supermarket near our home these days, I
am always asked, "Do you have a credit
card?" And I always answer, "No" or shake
my head instead.. A small discount seems
to be given to those using such cards (perhaps
5 percent).
I am the kind of person that will buy
too many or too expensive things if I can
go shopping without money. I even try not
to have much cash with me when I go outside.
Now that I am not working, except for
household chores, I think there is no way
to save money except through thriftiness.
Therefore, for me, credit cards seem only
to be a means for companies to sell more
goods to consumers. (YASUKO IZUMI, Seto)

I have never used credit cards. I use
cash almost all the time and if I need more
money than I have with me, I pay by check,
but I seldom use money for unanticipated
purposes. I would probably feel uneasy if I
used credit.
When I use customer cards at department
stores, I always make a note of it.
Even if I am careful, however, I am more
apt to use them more thoughtlessly than
when I pay with cash.
If a person who has no self-control uses


MAY 31, 1992    "DAILY WORD" ECHOES    7

credit cards, such a one will exceed his
or her ability to pay. I have read that some
young people must declare themselves
bankrupt. From my viewpoint, credit cards
are more harmful than convenient.
(MICHIKO SANO, Minami, Nagoya)

I have a few bank cards. They are useful
to buy things. When I lose money playing
pachinko, I can take money from the
bank and buy many things. And when I won
at pachinko, I put the winning money in the
bank before I lost that time.
I can borrow from the bank, but that is
dangerous, I think, because many students
borrow much money even though they cannot
pay it back. I know this is a fact, so I
have never borrowed any money either
from a bank or a money-lending agency.
By the way, the VISA card is commonly
used in Japan and I will obtain such a card.
But I will not use more money than I have
in my account so I will not borrow money.
The card is useful because I do not need to
carry cash with me even when I go shopping.
I think it is a great convenience to
use the card, but whenever I use it I must
be careful not to be extravagant.
(KUNIYOSHI AKO, Kobe)

Already many years have passed since
what is called the cashless age began. We
can buy almost anything without cash. This
situation is very convenient for us because
we don't need to carry a lot of money when
shopping and we don't need to be afraid of
having our money stolen. But, for myself, I
rather hesitate using a credit card. I doubt
my ability to control my spending if I use
one. It is difficult for me to limit my
spending to keep within my budget. Therefore,
when I buy something, I pay for it
from my wallet.
(MASAMI NAGATA, Mizuho, Nagoya)

I do not feel like using credit cards for
I had a bitter experience related to buying
goods on credit when I was a junior high
school student. In those days, my family
bought many things on credit, which I recall
was called tsuke, literally meaning
that shopkeepers "recorded" our purchases
on their books. Of course, I did not buy expensive
items, but I often bought sweets
and rice crackers on credit. Whenever I invited
friends to my house, I went to a nearby
sweet shop and bought several bags of
cakes or rice crackers called senbei for the
friends. Although each item was cheap, the
total amount of money my mother had to
pay at the end of the month for the many
bags of sweets I had bought was considerable.
One day, when my mother found out I
had bought so many items, she scolded me
very severely and even told me not to buy
any more things by myself.
At that time, I felt my mother was too
strict with me, but now I thank her for this
lesson: Be careful about buying things on
credit. Without this experience, I would
have used credit cards and bought more
things than I could afford. Now I have a
cash card, but I have never used it in Japan.
I am afraid I will easily obtain many
expensive items once I have started using
it. (TOMOYASU KIMURA, Nishi, Nagoya)

According to recent newspaper accounts,
a growing number of people are declaring
themselves bankrupt in an attempt
to escape their overburdened indebtedness
to credit companies. What is the matter
with them? The problem lies in the fact
that a card holder tends to get another
credit card from a different issuer when
he/she finds himself/herself likely to be
credit delinquent and the issuer too easily
gives credit. It is quite sad to see people
being controlled by money.
As for me, I refuse to become a card


8    MAY 31, 1992    "DAILY WORD" ECHOES

holder. Needless to say, I do not like being
bankrupt at all.
(SHOJI SUGIMOTO, Suginami, Tokyo)

A newspaper article reported that at
the beginning of April, an orientation for
freshmen was held at a certain women's
college in Tokyo. There, a lecturer sincerely
advised the students to lead wholesome
consumers' lives by refusing the inducements
of vice salesmen and not overusing
credit cards. Today, TV advertisements
exaggerate the advantages of credit
cards, saying that they will enable one to
obtain such and such fashionable, attractive
items quite easily at any time, but
they never mention the disadvantages.
When payment is due, the borrowers who
cannot pay must borrow more money to
make the payment by using credit cards.
Their debts will accelerate in a vicious
circle. Personal bankruptcies caused by
overusing credit cards are increasing remarkably.
The statistics show that in
1991, the number was about 23,000, double
that of the previous year. Since the advent
of credit cards in this country in 1961,
they have become so popular that now 190
million cards have been issued. Roughly
speaking, all Japanese, from infants to old
people, have more than one credit card. The
market has expanded enormously and the
amount of credit loans has reached more
than 65 trillion yen, three times that of ten
years ago. The competition among credit
card companies to enlarge their market
share is so intense that they are trying
hard to render more attractive services to
get more customers. We consumers are apt
to forget the disadvantages they have and
to be captivated by their attractiveness.
My husband retired several years ago.
We live on a pension and realize we are
quite vulnerable to falling into debt. We
are not so exceptional in that we actually
have some bank-related credit cards. We
appreciate the advantage of credit cards
which enables us to make payments without
carrying cash, but we are constantly
aware of how much we have on deposit in
the bank and try never to use credit cards
beyond the deposited amount.
Our expanded economy must largely depend
on mass domestic consumption. It is
said that because Japanese do not have
much of a sense of independence and individuality
they are easily manipulated by
publicity and try to keep up with the fashions
by getting new items. We should consider
whether things are really necessary
before using credit cards to purchase
them. They say that in the United States, a
so-called advanced credit card country,
personal bankruptcies have reached more
than 700 thousand but, compared with Japan,
Americans awareness of the importance
of self-responsibility is much greater.
Certainly, credit cards have undeniable
advantages, but we should always try to
use them very wisely. Also, educating
young people regarding their use is necessary.
(MICHIKO KAWAMURA, Meguro, Tokyo)

Credit cards are very suitable for busy
people nowadays. I have a credit card with
which I am able to buy things at one of the
large department stores in Japan. The advantage
of credit cards is to be able to go
shopping and pay other bills without cash.
But it is quite possible for people not to
control themselves while using them. This
is the disadvantage of credit cards. Those
in debt recognize their bankruptcy and consult
consumer centers, bar associations or
district courts. This is the debtors responsibility,
of course, but it is caused by
being able to get credit cards so easily.
Credit cards were introduced to Japan
from America 32 years ago. Recently, a
newspaper suggested a way to prevent the


MAY 31, 1992    "DAILY WORD" ECHOES    9

misuse of such cards: have a snapshot of
the owner pasted on the reverse side of
the card, as is done in America now. Credit
cards are disadvantageous for people who
cannot control themselves. It is shameful
that such persons are increasing, year by
year, in Japan.
(TAMAKO MORIMOTO, Tsuyama)

Although I am aware of the fact that
there are an uncountable number of cards
in this modern Japanese society, I have
only four cards that I currently use. The
first one is a cash dispenser card for the
bank and the second is a similar one used
for the post office. The other two cards
are from my opthalmologist and orthopedist
for vision care and hospital services.
Those who have had a bitter experience
with cards different from those of mine or
who have not had such an experience at all
might know why I have only four cards.
We often hear accounts of people being
"on their last leg" and/or being insolvent
due to overspending--so-called "card bankruptcy".
This card bankruptcy has spread
rapidly among young people, who avail
themselves of the convenient credit cards
with which they obtain what they want
without paying cash. It becomes a problem,
however, when those in the awkward situation
of having their liabilities exceeding
their financial resources are, at last, declared
bankrupt because of defaulting on
the obligation to pay their debts. Even
though this is so, they are still intrigued
with the merit of credit cards. My opinion
is that they have an uncontrollable urge to
use those cards and unwittingly use so
many that their obligation becomes overwhelming
and they cannot repay their
debts in a timely manner.
There are all kinds of cards: prepaid
cards, such as telephone cards; orange
cards. for purchasing tickets for transportation;
postal cards [not postcards] for obtaining
postage stamps and/or postcards;
cash cards which enable us to deposit or
withdraw cash from our savings account;
loan cards, .which enable us to obtain
loans; credit cards for settling outstanding
bills for staple commodities. There are
also credit and/or affiliation cards for
banks and other financial institutions, distribution
agencies, supermarkets and department
stores. In addition, there are
cards for other purposes, such as membership
and ID (identification) cards, etc.
I also have the feeling that the younger
generation is responsible for the dramatic
increase in the problem of not having money
to pay for the staple commodities they
obtained beforehand. Nonetheless, it seems
to me that tragedies like this are just
waiting to happen even now. "Thy blood be
upon thy head" (II Samuel 1:16).
Unfortunately, another serious problem
related to credit cards is when the owner
loses his cards or they are stolen. Such
cards are sometimes used beyond their
limits, but the original owner of the cards
is responsible for all the debts robbers or
unknown third parties have incurred. Considering
this issue of the fraudulent use of
credit cards: it is time to make an effort
to solve the problem.
Citibank, which is the largest bank in
the United States, released a report about
a recently developed photo card in close
cooperation with the Polaroid Corporation
as a means to cope with the illegal use of
credit cards. The card makes it possible
to confirm the true owner since it has a
color photo of the owner on the right corner
of the reverse side of the card. Having
both a signature and a photo, confirmation
of the original owner is much easier. In
the same vein, Dainihon Printing Company,
Ltd. in Japan has succeeded in developing
another way to identify those who use ID


10    MAY 31, 1992    "DAILY WORD" ECHOES

cards. A reduced Honograph [stereo] picture
of the owner makes an immediate, accurate
identification possible. Now that
these great systems have been developed
(although not readily available to the general
public yet), we need not worry about
making use of such fine cards for, in this
enlightened age, there is no disadvantage
in using them. Such cards will be available
before long in Japan.
(JAMES IWAI, Owariasahi)

*************************

April 14 Message (Subject #214)

The short English word "art" has a
wide meaning. A very practical skill or
craft may be called an art, but the word is
more often used for activities related to
beauty rather than practicality In universities,
the arts, sometimes called liberal
arts, are usually contrasted with the sciences
The fine arts, in particular, are creative
expressions aiming at beauty rather
than utility The concept of beauty, however,
varies from person to person and
from people to people. One way to try to
understand people of a different culture is
to consider their works of art. For your
essay this week, I am suggesting that you
write about art or the arts, including painting,
poetry and music. Art is a means of
heartfelt communication. What kind of art
do you prefer? Do you enjoy producing
works of art yourself? Do you appreciate
the artistry of others? You may wish to
compare or contrast Oriental/Japanese and
Western/American art. What do you think
are their similarities or differences?

*************************

The word "art"(geijuts) is a very inclusive
word. It is a human activity aimed
at freely and creatively expressing beauty,
using particular materials, means and
forms. That which is produced by such activity
is also called art. Art may be divided
into three main categories: space art
(architecture, sculpture, etc.), time art
(music, literature, etc.) and compositive
art (drama, dance, movies, etc.). There are
few people who can appreciate and have an
inclination for all of these forms of art.
My wife loves music and movies in particular.
She often goes to classic concerts
and operas held in Nagoya with her friends,
paying a considerable amount for admission.
She never invites me to go along because
she knows well that I am not interested.
Naturally I did not have an interest
in art in general, except for simply appreciating
some famous paintings in art museums
or exhibitions which were the talk
of the town. My boyhood was spent during
the war, which was not a suitable time for
cultivating a child's artistic sense. I cannot
but say it was a whim of fate that I
assumed the office, several years ago, of
director of a fine art museum.
Some public museums engage a specialist
in fine arts as the director, but it was
not the case in our prefecture. In the case
of our museum, successive directors were
not specialists, on the principle that the
director should be an executive official
supported by specialist curators. By the
way, I think the executive officials in our
bureaucracy are very ingenious. They manage
whatever tasks they are assigned. In
my past career, for example, I accepted a
job as chief of the fire-preventing facilities
inspection section in the Tokyo Fire
Defence Agency. In a Fire Prevention Week,
a newspaper made a report on my inspection
of a department store. I also gave a
lecture to managers of buildings on "Preparation


MAY 31, 1992   "DAILY WORD" ECHOES   11

For Fire Prevention" several days
after my assumption of the office.
To return to the subject, I began to
study hard every area related to fine arts:
the history of domestic and foreign paintings
and sculptures, how to repair damaged
paintings, how to purchase Western paintings
on the world market and so on. It is
rather easy to learn facts from books, but
acquiring a sensibility for art is quite another
matter. A discerning eye cannot be
developed in a short time. But, somehow
or other, I have become capable of commenting
on works of art at exhibitions and
have been acquainted with many artists inside
and outside the prefecture, including
Mr. Manzu, the famous Italian sculptor. (By
the way, through my visits to some famous
European museums, I recognized again the
high public regard for the post of director
or curator of museums.)
Recently my wife often says, "I'm glad
that now we can go to an art exhibition together
and talk with each other, which was
beyond my imagination before. I wish, furthermore,
the same thing would be possible
in regard to classic concerts."
(MIKIHIKO YOSHIMOTO, Gifu)

I enjoy visiting art exhibitions despite
my own lack of ability. I find that there
are many old paintings which have a religious
significance. They have a similar aspect
regardless of the country, Western or
Oriental, but each religion is different. We
cannot live without some religion.
I also like to read poetry, Needless to
say, I am not a talented poet. Do you say it
is my talent? If it is so, I only try to express
a heartfelt communication. I have a
deep feeling for ancient conditions. I talk
to myself and hear the answer in my heart.
I cannot draw or paint a pretty picture.
I am ashamed to know so little about art,
but the suggested theme encouraged me. I
shall make a greater effort than before.
(MICHIKO SANO, Minami, Nagoya)

One of my friends is the owner of a
small gallery, so sometimes, when I'm free
and have nothing particular to do, that is a
place for me to kill time. My friend mainly
collects French lithographs. I have little
knowledge about pictures so that was the
first time I heard about lithographs. Whenever
I visit his gallery, he eagerly talks
about the backgrounds of pictures or painters,
so I'm gradually getting interested in
pictures. Of course, as you know, lithographs
are not so expensive compared to
paintings, but they are still too expensive
for me to purchase for my own enjoyment.
As I listen to his opinions regarding each
picture, I'm sometimes moved to purchase
it, but I find another problem exists for
me. I don't have enough space to display it.
(MASAMI NAGATA, Mizuho, Nagoya)

I have almost finished reading Dr. Offner's
books, Daily Word and Ofuna Hakase no
Deiri Wa-do, for the third time each. Perhaps
I have never read even Japanese books
more than three times. I cannot memorize
Dr. Offner's books in detail, so I think I can
read them so many times.
I have never studied painting except at
schools, but I am very interested in paintings
also. As I mentioned before, once when
I was in middle school, one of my pictures
was sent to Denmark. Since then, I have
gained a little more confidence in painting
pictures. When I was in high school, a student
teacher took Yoko and me to Kyoto to
see Venus of Melos. I was very glad to see
that famous statue at that time in spite of
the very hot weather there.
These days, I am encouraged by playing
Handel's Triumphal March or Schubert's Wild
Roses on the piano. I am going to get my
piano tuned soon. (YASUKO IZUMI, Seto)


12    MAY 31, 1992    "DAILY WORD" ECHOES

Criteria of aesthetic values differ
from country, from age to age, and even
from person to person, for that matter.
Noble men and women as portrayed in
The Tale of Genji one of the oldest novels
in the world, appear too portly to be considered
good-looking when judged by present-day
artistic standards. As recently as
the Edo Period, people seemed to have different
standards of judging beautiful women
than are used today. Ladies in woodblock
printing masterpieces have extremely
narrow eyes and very thin eyebrows,
which are no longer admired these days.
It is small surprise that facial features
of Buddha are not identical in different
places. Last year, I visited Thailand
and saw hundreds of Buddhist images.
There were striking dissimilarities between
their features and those found in
our temples. Theirs had narrower faces and
sharper noses. This is also true of images
of Christ and the Virgin Mary, which vary
from one culture to another.
Is it possible to say that there are no
unchangeable absolute standards of beauty?
I think it is. And many people assert
that today each individual should have his
or her own aesthetic criteria and should
express them freely. I agree but, personally,
I think that there should be some limitation
to this aesthetic freedom.
Several years ago, there was a dispute
over a "work of art." An artist exhibited a
pile of garbage as his work. Exhibition officials
were furious and ordered the artist
to clear away the rubbish immediately but
the artist insisted that the unusual form
of his exhibit was a genuine expression of
his artistic inspiration!
You need courage to be really individualistic.
It is far easier to keep up with the
Joneses. But here, also, there is a danger
of going too far. Almost all girls wanted
to be as skinny as Twiggy in Britain when
she was admired throughout the world as
the incarnation of ideal beauty. The same
tendency still persists and does not seem
about to diminish in the foreseeable future.
Doctors have warned time and again
that the number of anorexia cases is on the
increase. In extreme cases, those Twiggy
devotees can lose not only their weight but
their lives as well.
Even in art, as in everything else, we
must not forget our common sense.
(HISAYA SUGIURA, Anjo)

My father is a retired engineer. He
worked for Toyota Body Company until a
little before the mandatory age of retirement
(55) and lived a carefree life for a
while. Then one day, he received a telephone
call from his daughter, who had married
a man in lchinomiya and was living
there, suggesting that he take painting
lessons at a culture center. Since he had
never painted before, he said "No" at first,
but decided to attend the lessons after
learning that my sister had already paid
for the first semester of a painting course.
That decision effected a great change in
my father's life.
Masao Kimura, now 70 years of age,
sketches everything that attracts his attention
and has recently held a one-man
exhibition at a gallery in Fushimi. A picture
postcard has been printed showing one
of his latest works which won the Nagoya
City Assembly Chairman's Prize in an art
contest for amateur artists. An interesting
experience which indicated his enthusiasm
for art occurred when my family met him
at the Akaike Subway Station where he
was waiting for us. As soon as we went
out of the station, I recognized him in his
Toyota doing something. Even while he was
waiting for us, he was sketching! Now,
wherever he goes, he carries a sketchbook
with him.


MAY 31, 1992    "DAILY WORD" ECHOES    13

In my childhood, my father was a man
who worked hard for his company and went
fishing in his free time. Fishing was the
only activity I had shared with him until I
entered high school. While I was in college,
I saw him taking care of dwarf trees,
called bonsai, all the time. And for a time
he devoted himself to grinding some rough
stones into beautiful "chrysanthemum
stones". But I had never imagined my father
painting a picture and neither had other
members of my family. Now, he keeps
active everyday because there are so many
things around him that interest him and
keep him from getting old. He is enjoying
a "green old age".
My father has proved the truth of the
old saying, "It is never too late to learn".
(TOMOYASU KIMURA, Nishi, Nagoya)

I'm a "Daily Word" listener, but I know
little English and it's too difficult to
write my opinion about art or the arts, the
differences between Oriental and Occidental
art, etc. Instead, I'll write down an English
song I sang with my friends, students
at the Himeji Normal School, about 70
years ago. It is "Home Sweet Home". I hope
you'll correct my mistakes.
"'Mid pleasures and palaces though we
may roam, Be it ever so humble, there's no
place like home; A charm from the skies
seems to hallow us there, Which seek thro'
the world, is never met elsewhere. Home,
home, sweet, sweet home, There's no place
like home, Oh, there's no place like home."
Another is the following: "It's a long
way to Tipperary, it's a long way to go. It's
a long way to Tipperary, to the sweetest
girl I know. Good-by Piccadilly,. farewell
Leicester Square. It's a long, long way to
Tipperary, but my heart's right there."
I sing "Home Sweet Home" alone while
playing the piano. How sweet the melody
is! (HYOWAY OHWAY, Kami, Hyogo)

According to a report, the left and
right sides of the brain have different, peculiar
functions. The former largely manages
calculations, analyses, speech and
such things; the latter is related to sensitivity,
feeling and appreciation associated
with the field of art.
I enjoy calligraphy, so I spend many
hours using the right side of my brain, especially
when I produce works for an exhibition.
However, when attending school
working at a job and raising children, I
have mostly used the left side of my brain
during my life.
It is said that modern education tends
to emphasize the left-side brain functions.
As a result, most adults are good with
words, but poor with art. We should learn
to use both sides of the brain. Longfellow
wrote in his A Psalm of Life that "Art is
long, time is fleeting." I hope my rightside
brain functions will concentrate more
on my activities related to calligraphy
which enriches my afternoon life.
(SADAE HASHIMOTO, Minami, Nagoya)

When I was a school child, drawing was
one of my favorite subjects. When I was a
student, going to the art exhibition at the
Metropolitan Art Museum at Ueno every
fall was my great pleasure. I was so interested
in paintings that I remembered the
names and works of the famous artists in
those days very well. Maybe I had a better
memory long ago. Though very humidly, I
have been able to visit the Louvre and the
Modern Art Museum in Paris, the Prado in
Madrid, the Art History Museum in Vienna,
the National Museum in Taipei, etc. My
husband likes to get pictures and to hang
them on the walls. He also likes to collect
both domestic Japanese dolls and Western
dolls, especially those made by famous
manufacturers, such as Royal Copenhagen,
Anri, Irish-Dresden, Herend, etc. Certainly,


14    MAY31, 1992    "DAILY WORD" ECHOES

those items are not easy to get and we
have only a few, but we appreciate their
particular value and love them. Though we
are thrifty, we believe having artistic
things around us is meaningful. We can
enjoy their beauty at any time and deepen
our artistic appreciation. Their beauty
stirs our hearts and stimulates joy and
strength. If I had enough time, I would like
to learn how to paint and produce works of
art myself, but I am too busy to do so.
In Japan, art classes at ordinary
schools are limited to Western styles, such
as oil painting and water color painting.
Instruction in Japanese-style painting is
concerned only with appreciation. Japanese
paintings are done on silk or Japanese paper
with a brush, using sumi and mineral
colors. Modern Japanese-style paintings
are much influenced by Western oil paintings.
When we look back on the history of
Japanese art, we are impressed how Japanese
artists have been susceptive to foreign
culture. When foreign culture has
seemed newer and more valuable than their
own, they have been very eager and serious
about introducing it. Sometimes they went
so far that they forgot their own art, but
they were sure to come back to it in time,
assimilating foreign elements to create a
new art form which is more refined and sophisticated
with a Japanese air. This country
has been blessed with natural beauty
and four distinct seasons. According to
the season, nature has given us different
shades of beauty to which we have been
very sensitive. We Japanese have regarded
the world as transitory and have never
overlooked its fleeting beauty. Artists
have made great efforts to grasp the essence
of the objects and to show it in a
powerful but allusive way. In some schools
even space is important to evoke our powers
of association. We are proud that Japanese
have manifested a superb ability of
perceiving beauty and excellent artistic
ability. These are outstanding features--peculiar
to Japanese art, I believe.
We have learned much from Western
art. Especially modern art owes much to
the West. We have a keen fascination and
respect for Western art. It is really magnificent.
We have been especially overwhelmed
with its greatness based on grand
design and excellent planning, which we
Japanese have not practiced. At the same
time, we should realize the value of our
traditional art as our precious legacy and
make an effort to develop it in a better
way for the benefit of human life in a
broader sense.
(MICH1K0 KAWAMURA, Meguro, Tokyo)

I prefer to listen to (Western) classical
music than to look at sculptures, pictures
or any other kinds of art.
I have enjoyed producing works of art
myself by self-education, including knitting,
weaving with wool yarns, Swedish
embroidery, rattan work, doll-making and
so on. Recently, I do not have enough time
to engage in it, but I hope to enjoy producing
them again in the future.
There are many famous and great artists
in the world, but there are many unknown
artists in the world, too. Housewives
display artistic sense in their table
settings to encourage diners to enjoy their
meals. Especially in Japan, they are conscious
of the four seasons. Housewives
aim to make their dishes colorful to stimulate
good appetites for the diners with
their best wishes. Especially, Japanese style
confectioners are wonderful but
unknown artists.
Oriental arts have a special character.
Arts in undeveloped countries are simpler
than in developed countries like the West.
I think American art is in the stream of
European tradition and Japanese art is


MAY 31, 1992    "DAILY WORD" ECHOES    15

similar to Chinese. Various kinds of arts
are related to the spirit and grace of God.
(TAMAKO MORIMOTO, Tsuyama)

*************************

April 21 Message (Subject *215)
Sixty-six years ago today on April 21,
/926, a baby girl was born to an English
couple in London. She was named Elizabeth
Alexandra Mary, which were the names of
her mother, great-grandmother and grandmother
respectively. Upon the abdication
of her Uncle Edward when she was ten
years old, her father became the king and
She became the crown princess When her
father, George VI, died in 1952, she became
queen of Great Britain and Northern
Ireland. Queen Elizabeth II and her husband,
Prince Philip, have four children, Prince
Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and
Prince Edward. Queen Elizabeth II has now
been reigning for forty years, the sixth longest
reigning monarch in British history.
Along with the many privileges of royalty
are the burdens of constant public exposure
and Britain's royal family and the
monarchy have been the subject of considerable
criticism in recent years What
are your thoughts or impressions about
Queen Elizabeth g her family and the British
monarchy? Now does it compare to the
imperial household in Japan?

*************************

Japan bears a close resemblance to
England in various ways: being an insular
country with a great continent nearby,
having a peculiar, traditional culture, and
maintaining a constitutional monarchy for
a long period. In the 5th century, Anglo-Saxons
entered the Island of Britannia and
conquered the Celts, the aborigines. Later,
in the 9th century, they were unified by
Egbert who established the first dynasty
of England. The monarchy has continued in
that country until now, although dynasties
have changed several times along the way.
Our present emperor is said to be the
125th in an unbroken line of sovereigns for
so we were taught in prewar days). Now it
had been definitely shown by an objective
analysis of history that there were also a
few dynastic changes in the ancient period
of our nation and the number 125 itself is
doubtful.
In the Meiji Restoration, the government
tried to adopt the pattern of the English
monarchy for the imperial household,
but afterward the army began using the
emperor for its own sinister plans. The
status of the emperor and the imperial
household was redefined in its present
form by the new constitution. The present
status of the emperor is very similar to
that of the king or queen of England, being
the symbolic head of state with no real
governmental power.
Queen Elizabeth II has been on the
throne for 40 years, approaching the record
of 60 years by Queen Victoria. Queen
Elizabeth and her family are very popular
and enjoy the esteem of the people. I myself
gained that impression when I visited
Buckingham Palace years ago. However,
there is some difference, I think, in the
way people view the royal/imperial family
in England and Japan. The British royal family
is often treated in a vulgar way. We
frequently read rumors or gossip in newspapers
about the queen's dresses, divorce
or infidelity in the family, the extravagant
lifestyle and so on. But here in Japan, we
seldom read such things about the imperial
household in newspapers and magazines.


16    MAY 31, 1922    "DAILY WORD" ECHOES

Our Crown Prince is still single even
though he has reached the age of 33. Many
magazines have printed accounts of prospective
princesses, which put the specified
persons to much trouble, but at least there
were not such malicious reports. Recently,
the Imperial Household Agency requested
the media to refrain from reporting about
the subject of his marriage for a certain
period and it was followed without much
complaining. The Empress Dowager is said
to have become senile for these several
years, but we seldom see a report referring
to that fact. Even if some such reference
is needed, the expression "symptoms
peculiar to the aged" is used with good
will. Japanese people instinctively know
what should or should not be mentioned or
openly expressed which is, I believe, our
sound judgment. It was a proper decision
by the Allied Forces to retain the emperor
as a psychological anchor for the people at
the end of the war.
(MIKIHIKO YOSHIMOTO, Gifu)

It is said that the British royal family
is one of the most lovely in the world. It
not only participates in official events and
state-run businesses, but also in social activities
and sports competitions on an individual
basis. It is always targeted by the
mass media, especially when one of the
family members is involved in love affairs.
Of course, this kind of scandal is criticized
by people but, on the other hand, this open
attitude makes us feel closer to them. The
Japanese imperial family has become more
open compared to the situation before the
Second World War. Some people criticize
this tendency because the imperial family
has been losing its mythological aura, but
we should never forget that that mythological
aura was often used for political
purposes.
(MASAMI NAGATA, Mizuho, Nagoya)

On the 14th of this month I noticed an
article about the divorce of Princess Anne
and Lieutenant Phillips. According to the
article, the royal family also announced
last month that Prince Andrew and Princess
Sarah decided to separate. Although
we had wished Princess Anne and her husband
a long and happy life, I feel sorry that
their life together has now ended.
I don't know much about British royalty
except that it is a constitutional monarchy
even as the Japanese tenno is only a
symbol today. I consulted the Japanese
Constitution to learn more about the Japanese
Imperial Household. (I am very sorry
that I could not write a composition on the
theme of the Japanese Constitution a couple
of years ago because I could not find
one at that time.) According to the present
Constitution, women cannot become a tenno
On the other hand, in England, a woman can
ascend to the royal throne as a queen. In
Japan, because of the influence of Confucianism,
women's status is comparatively
low. This was especially true until about a
decade again, so the divorce rate is quite
low in comparison with that in Western
countries. I'm not so interested in royal
families, but I have never heard of a divorce
in the Japanese imperial family.
When I read the above-mentioned article, I
thought that one problem may be that
women's status is so high.
Once we decide to marry someone, we
hope our marriage will last forever. If we
have children, I think it is necessary to
stay together even if it is very difficult.
And I hope the British royal family as well
as the Japanese imperial family will provide
good examples for their people.
(YASUKO IZUMI, Seto)

I am perplexed about what to write in
regard to this theme because I have no interest
in queens, kings, emperors or the imperial


NAY 31, 1992    "DAILY WORD" ECHOES    17

household. They have a long history,
as we all do. Royal or imperial lines were
decided by our ancestors but in recent
years the situation has changed as a reflection
of the times and perhaps will
change repeatedly according to the age.
respect all of the imperial household as
they reconsider their origins and do their
best to bring peace to the world.
(MICHIKO SANO, Minami, Nagoya)

Every country has its own unique traditions
which its people cherish and revere.
The imperial family is the most esteemed
part of Japan's. heritage. To maintain
traditions does not mean that there
should be no change in them Rather, new
ideas and even radical changes are necessary
if we want to keep our traditions virile
and relevant. The imperial family in
Japan is no exception.
Toward the end of the Second World
War, Emperor Hirohito boldly broke conventional
practices one after another so
that Japan could surrender to the Allied
Powers before the Japanese people were
wiped off the face of the earth. When the
cabinet conference came to a stalemate
over whether to accept an unconditional
surrender or to continue hostilities to the
last man, the emperor is said to have made
the final decision himself for peace. It was
an unheard-of action of the throne, whose
will had always been conveyed indirectly
through the lord keeper of the privy seal.
Another revolutionary event was that
the emperor himself broadcast Japan's capitulation
over the radio, telling his subjects
that they must "endure the unendurable
and suffer the insufferable". Until
noon, August 15, 1945, he had been considered
as such a sacred "god" that the Japanese
people had never heard his voice.
After the war, Hirohito surprised the
people by declaring that he was a human being,
not a god. He also impressed General
MacArthur, Supreme Commander for the Allied
Powers (SCAP),when he visited him at
the American Embassy, Instead of pleading
for clemency, Hirohito said, "I come to you,
General MacArthur, to offer myself to the
judgment of the powers you represent as
the one to bear sole responsibility for every
political and military decision made and
action taken by my people in the conduct of
this war." MacArthur was moved, as he later
wrote, "to the very marrow of my bones.
He was an Emperor by inherent birth, but in
that instant I knew I faced the first Gentleman
of Japan in his own right." (American
Caesar--Douglas MacArthur, p. 577)
Those are some of the precedent-shattering
actions performed by Hirohito who,
until the end of the war, had been regarded
as an archenemy of mankind by the people
of the Allied countries and who had been
respected as a living god by his subjects.
In real life, he was a gentle marine biologist
and poet. Reischauer, a leading Japanologist
and American ambassador to Japan,
wrote: "The Emperor is indeed a very
straightforward, genuine person, without
an iota of guile in him .... The Emperor
was by no means a skilled conversationalist,
but I never took a person for an audience
who did not come away remarking on
his sincerity and good will." (My Life Between
Japan and America, p. 180)
Our present Emperor Akihito did an unprecedented
thing which greatly contributed
to making the imperial family closer
and more endearing to the people. It was
his courageous action in marrying Michiko,
a commoner. He speaks and behaves in a
less formal manner than his father did, yet
he is no less respected and loved by the
people.
Personally, I am afraid that the Imperial
Household Agency is trying to isolate
the imperial family from the public, which


18    MAY 31, 1992    "DAILY WORD" ECHOES

will lead the time-honored Japanese monarchy
to an eventual decline. It should have
more liberal and open policies. It will be a
promising sign if it were to give the crown
prince Naruhito the freedom to choose a
foreign girl as his life-long partner.
(HISAYA SUGIURA, Anjo)

I am now looking at a picture of a beautiful
woman accompanied by many noblelooking
escorts. In the picture, many students
may be seen, including Yoko and me.
The time was more than ten years ago, the
place was Manchester, England, and the
beautiful woman was Queen Elizabeth II.
When we were students of Manchester University,
we had a unique opportunity to
meet the Queen and her husband, Prince
Philip, in a new university library. I remember
Prince Philip asking my wife,
Yoko, how she was getting along with her
studies, but Yoko seemed too excited to
say anything.
How can I compare the British royal
family with the imperial household in Japan?
A few years after returning to Japan,
we had the good fortune to be invited to a
large party at the British Embassy where
the then Crown Prince and Princess were
honored guests. Although we wanted to
talk with them, we did not because we
could not think of a suitable topic to talk
about. We only approached them and listened
to them chatting with other guests.
Through these personal experiences,
we feel both the British royal couple and
the Japanese imperial couple are grand,
but from information gained through the
mass media, the British royal family
seems more open to the general public.
(TOMOYASU KIMURA, Nishi, Nagoya)

My younger sister is as old as Queen
Elizabeth II and I am two years older than
the queen. Princess Elizabeth, who was expected
to become the future queen of Great
Britain, was popular even in Japan. We often
saw pictures of the Princess with her
younger sister, Princess Margaret. They
were so pretty that I imposed them on my
image of princesses in fairy tales. She
married in 1947, a little later than I, and
Prince Charles is as old as my elder son.
My younger son lived in London for a long
time. While he was there, he was deeply
impressed with the greatness of Mrs. Thatcher
and the goodness of Queen Elizabeth.
He used to say that women are inferior to
men, but he changed his view after recognizing
their superior qualities and now he
says women are never inferior to men.
Thus, I admire the British queen, though I
am a Japanese woman.
Dr. Offner stated that Britain's royal
family has the burdens of constant public
exposure along with the many privileges of
royalty. Concerning that, I remember what
Andre Malraux, a French novelist, wrote in
a novel I read when I was young. His country,
France, is a republic, having no monarch,
so he criticized the deference accorded
to royalty by the British as a product of
the snobbery of John Bull. To satisfy their
desire, they irrationally watch the behavior
of the royal family members and quickly
seize any information about them. Japanese
have the same tendency also.
I remember once when some foreigners,
surprised at seeing the great moat
surrounding the vast site of the Imperial
Palace, asked me why Japanese people let
the imperial family live in such a spacious
place in the midst of downtown Tokyo,
where the price of real estate is very expensive.
Certainly, Buckingham Palace, in
the city of London, looks like just an ordinary
palace, compared with the Imperial
Palace in Tokyo. I do not know why, but I
wonder if it reflects the difference of mental
attitude toward monarchs by the people


MAY 31, 1992    "DAILY WORD" ECHOES    19

of the two countries. We Japanese have
paid respect to the imperial family as the
oldest family, whose lineage points to the
origin of our country. Now, our Constitution
stipulates the Emperor is the symbol of
the State and the unity of the people. Thus,
the dignified existence of the imperial
family itself has some significance. Of
course, we expect them to perform an exemplary
role as family members, but we do
not expect them to serve us so much as the
British do their royal family.
Britain is an island country like Japan,
but it was invaded by many peoples since
an early stage of her history. Consequently,
the power of its monarchy became very
strong. In 1215, the Magna Carta was issued
by King John and is considered the basis of
British liberalism which kept the country
from the kind of royal dictatorship that
developed in France. The British monarch
never rules but reigns, like our emperor.
The British want their royal family to be a
symbol of dignity, like the Japanese. Nevertheless,
we cannot deny they have been
closer to secular power and wealth compared
with Japanese emperors. Compared
with Japan, I suppose their historical background
makes the royal family more sensitive
to the reactions of the people, which
they try to serve better.
Both Britain and Japan have constitutional
monarchies. We see many mature,
democratic countries with constitutional
monarchies in northern Europe--including
Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Norway and
Sweden. Those countries have a long history
and their monarchies have given their
political systems some dignity and enhanced
'the mental stability of the people.
Those factors have been quite effective in
developing democracy in a well-balanced,
wholesome way. The United States, whose
history is short, seems to be unique, the
only country to develop a democracy under
a completely republican system. We should
try to understand our history well and appreciate
constitutional monarchy as a worthy,
mature political system.
(MICHIKO KAWAMURA, Meguro, Tokyo)

As George VI, who was Elizabeth's father,
had only two daughters, the eldest
daughter, Elizabeth, acceded to the throne
in 1952. Queen Elizabeth II, who is dignified,
noble, charming and wise, is really
suitable to be the head of the British Commonwealth
of Nations, which consisted of
44 self-governing nations in 1980. I have
heard that she is a qualified nurse. The
Duke of Edinburgh, who came from a royal
family in Greece, married Queen Elizabeth
in 1947. When the couple visited Japan in
May 1975, we welcomed them heartily. I
was so deeply impressed with their character
and personalities that I still treasure
the collection of photos of them with
the late Showa Tenno and Her Imperial
Majesty. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip
have three sons and a daughter, named
Anne. I presume that Queen Elizabeth's
heart aches regarding Princess Anne's recent
divorce. The eldest son, Prince Charles,
and Princess Diana have two sons.
The United Kingdom is a constitutional
monarchy. Queen Elizabeth is a symbol of
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland. In 1980, there were 43
other countries in the Commonwealth. She
is not concerned with governmental matters.
All her activities are determined by
Royal Household regulations. This is almost
the same as the Imperial Household
in Japan. In Japan, however, divorce and
adoption by Imperial Household couples and
their families are prohibited by Imperial
Household Agency rules. I cannot compare
well the Imperial Household in Japan and
the Royal Household in Britain, but in fact,
the royal family Britain is freer and closer


20    MAY 31, 1922    "DAILY WORD" ECHOES

to the common people than in Japan. Frankly
speaking, I think the members of the Imperial
Household Agency and the Cabinet in
Japan are over-serious in their views compared
to the United Kingdom.
(TAMAKO MORIMOTO, Tsuyama)

*************************

April 28 Message (Subject *216)
Tomorrow is a national holiday in Japan,
called Midori no Hi. Of course, midori
may simply identify the color "green; but
it also has a wider meaning It may denote
the greenery of nature, also called verdure.
Traditionally, Japanese have had a deep respect
for nature and even venerated natural
phenomena, but in recent years this attitude
seems to have changed, considering
the littering of public places and the pollution
generated by both factories and individuals
Japan has been said to be poor in
natural resource's, but there are two natural
resources in which it excel/sits industrious
people and its natural beauty I hope
this Intelligent, industrious nation will
boldly confront the problem of how to decrease
pollution and protect the beautiful
natural environment for the benefit of future
generations and as an example to other
nations What are your thoughts relating
to the past and present Japanese attitude
toward nature? What do you think of the
increasing problem of pollution and what
Can or should be done about it? What can
we do as individuals to preserve the health
and beauty of our environment?

*************************

April 29th is "Green Day". The change
in name from "Emperor's Birthday" was an
intelligent choice as we see fresh verdure
around us in this season. According to a
survey conducted by NHK, the colors that
Japanese like are white, sky color, red,
black, beige, navy blue, green and blue, in
that order. Green was in seventh place, but
the number who like green increases for
people over 50. Particularly in the case of
men 50 and older, green is the second
choice. Maybe it is because of the feeling
of serenity that green stimulates. When I
visited Korea last year, I noticed something
unusual in the appearance of mountains
and realized that the bare mountains
lacked greenery. Mountains in our country
abound in greenery owing to an abundance
of rain. Primarily, what sustains our civilization
are abundant greenery, good soil
and clean water. Without the first, the
latter two will not be generated.
When the Basic Law for Environmental
Pollution Control was promulgated in 1967,
the main target was to curb the pollution
caused by factories following the phenomenal
growth of our economy. Today, the environmental
problems surrounding us have
greatly increased. We are confronted with
fluorocarbon, acid rain, particles of asbestos,
eutrophication and so on. What is important
is that we can prevent most of
them by our own constant efforts.
We drink city water without hesitation
in Gifu and I imagine it is the same in Nagoya.
But in Osaka and Kyoto, I am not inclined
to drink unboiled tap water because
it has a strange smell and taste. I hear
water purifying appliances are much in demand
today. The expression "Japanese
think water and safety are free" is no longer
applicable today. The reason for ill-smelling
water in the Kansai District is
the contamination of Lake Biwa, the source
of the water supply. To prevent contamination,
Shiga Prefecture banned detergents
containing phosphorus in 1980 and since


MAY 31, 1992    "DAILY WORD" ECHOES    21

then things have taken a favorable turn.
Now I work for the Prefectural Sewerage
Corporation. It is a corporation for the
management and maintenance of ryuiki-gesuido
(drainage basin sewerage). Basically,
construction of sewerage belongs to
the competence of cities, towns and villages,
but when it is reasonable to construct
a sewerage system on a larger scale
across their boundaries, competence is
transferred to the prefecture. Most prefectures
have one or more such systems.
We are constructing our disposal area as a
park equipped with a baseball diamond,
tennis courts, promenades with a variety
of views, a jogging course, an open-air
stage and so on. The other day, in the waters
of a pond in our compound, I found
many tadpoles. We also have a plan to make
a waterway for breeding fireflies. I think
it is important to provide the basic system
with these kinds of additional features to
enhance the public's familiarity with nature.
(MIKIHIKO YOSHIMOTO, Gifu)

I have long questioned the common
practice of using many convenient machines
which make our lives easier but also
cause pollution. We have an obligation
to pass on resources to future generations.
Then what should we who live in the present
do?
I remember when I was a student after
the Second World War. Our books or notebooks,
of course, were made of recycled
paper, but we were glad to be able to learn
and felt no difficulty in using them. Only
one piece of paper may cause a problem. I
read that most people buy toilet paper
made with new paper rather than recycled
paper. As for me, I didn't know that there
were two kinds. I intend to check from now
on whether the paper is new or recycled.
If someone knows the difference and buys
the new paper, I want to ask why, when
and by whom the new paper is needed. I
think that I must be more observant now
and not make a mistake and also talk about
this matter with my friends.
(MICHIKO SANO, Minami, Nagoya)

Recently, I can almost never go anywhere,
except downtown on Sundays. Thus
I don't know the present state of holiday
resorts everywhere, but I hear that such
places are now littered with empty cans
and piles of picnic leftovers. We must not
obey that ironical proverb, tabi no haji wa
kakisute, meaning we may do any shameful
thing in places far from home. We should
bring back picnic leftovers with us to our
home or we must throw them into trash
boxes. And we must not bring any plants
from there to our home.
As for industrial pollution, my younger
brother and other members of a group recently
succeeded in devising a method to
detect the presence of mercury poisoning
by examining only the hair of a patient. According
to the Chunichi newspaper, dated
November 23, I learned that this method
can be used for patients in Brazil who
were prospecting for gold also. My brother
had been working at the Environment Office
of Minamata in Kyushu for two years
and last August gave a lecture at Cambridge
University in England, perhaps on
this theme. A few years ago, he lectured
in Indonesia also. We must prohibit industrial
pollution and preserve Japan's and
the world's natural resources as beautiful
and clean as possible for the next generation.
(YASUKO IZUMI, Seto)

In Japan, there have been four major
pollution cases brought to court: Minamata
disease in Niigata Prefecture, a second
kind of Minamata disease called Yokkaichi
zensoku, the Itai-ital-byo of Toyama Prefecture
and the Minamata disease of Kumamoto


22    MAY 31, 1992    "DAILY WORD" ECHOES

Prefecture. Such pollution-caused
sickness has resulted in a large number of
victims. Some have initiated civil suits,
but many persons have not been benefitted
by the suits and have paid for medical
treatment with their own money. I think
this is the biggest social problem in Japan.
This is what I learned in social studies in
my junior high school days. Among them,
Minamata disease is the widest spread so
most sufferers are Minamata disease patients.
May they be healed by God's compassion!
(KUNIYOSHI AKO, Nishi, Kobe)

As society becomes more industrialized
and mechanized, more factories are
being built and nature is being destroyed
to build them. Moreover, the number of golfers
is increasing and, as a result, mountains
or fields are spoiled. In the days
when people didn't golf, mountains were
beautiful in their natural state. Besides,
some industrial wastes are being poured
into rivers through sewerage.
Some things we can do to preserve the
environment are to be careful about our kitchen
waste and to live a more natural life.
If we walk or ride a bicycle instead of going
by car, the air is kept fresh. If we grow
vegetables ourselves, we can eat fresh, nutritious
vegetables. This is good not only
for nature but also for our own health.
(HIROMI FURUTA, Kita, Nagoya)

Today is Midori-no-hi, a national holiday
in Japan. Formerly it was the birthday
of Emperor Showa. He lived a long life, so
April 29th reminds me of his birthday. It
is in the middle of spring--the best time
of year. The climate is mild and we are surrounded
by fresh, green leaves and grass. It
is just a few weeks after the new school
year began. Children and young people have
just started their new lives, filled with
hope and expectation.
Before and during the war, there was a
school ceremony on the Emperor's Birthday,
In the auditorium or on the school playground,
the headmaster made a speech and
we schoolchildren sang a song for Our Majesty's
birthday: "Today is a good day when
Our Majesty was born. Everything is full
of life and hope. Let's celebrate this day."
At the end of the ceremony, we all sang
the national anthem, Kimigayo, and in our
classrooms each of us was given two
pieces of sugar cake in the shape of chrysanthemums--the
emblem of the Imperial
Household.
After the war, such a ceremony was
abolished but the holiday continued to be
observed, without schoolwork or labor.
Many people enjoy their free time and leisure.
Other holidays follow Midori-no-Hi
(the name was changed after the death of
Emperor Showa), which is the beginning of
the Golden Week. Roads and the various
means of transportation are jammed with
vehicles and people. I myself will stay at
home and enjoy the beautiful natural environment.
(KIMI KONDO, Miura)

"Democracy Can Never Save the Earth",
Kazuya Fukuda's article in the current issue
of the Bungeishunju magazine, discusses
environmental problems. According to
the article, the essence of environmental
problems is to discover how to live in the
finite world. Modern civilization, originating
in Europe and fully developed in the
United States, has pursued ever increasing
happiness, individual rights and riches.
This is possible only in the infinite world
which is nothing but an illusion.
After the end of the Pacific War, the
Japanese people were literally overwhelmed
by the American way of life and
were firmly determined to make every effort
to imitate it. They seem to have been
exemplary students in learning everything


MAY 31, 1992    "DAILY WORD" ECHOES    23

American--from jeans to hamburgers to
chewing gum. They reorganized the education
system following the American pattern,
introduced education boards and even
PTAs. Quality controls were so vigorously
practiced that they have surpassed those
of their mentors! They have polluted the
air with the exhaust from tens of millions
of automobiles and ravaged green hills,
constructing golf courses one after another.
The Japanese seem to have become
firm believers in prosperity, progress and
development.
When we consider environmental problems,
we have to question ourselves whether
we have the courage to abandon amenities
and conveniences and to return to a
simple life. If we are to live on this Planet
Earth, which is as finite as an orange,
we have to learn how to share it fairly
among ourselves. It is stupid to burn precious
oil to keep one's home so warm that
one can walk around in one's shirt-sleeves
in the middle of winter. It is also foolish
to produce cucumbers, melons, strawberries,
tomatoes, etc., all year round, consuming
enormous energy. Statistics show that
the United States produces by far the largest
amount of carbon dioxide--5 tons per
capita annually. Japan produces 2.2 tons,
whereas China produces a mere 0.5 ton.
Nobody can deny the Chinese people, who
account for 1/5th of the world population,
the right to raise their standard of living
to those of the G-7. When they achieve
that, what will happen to the greenhouse
effect which seems to have already begun
affecting the earth's climate?
Problems do not stop here, however.
Naohiro Amaya writes, "Out of 5.4 billion
people on earth, only 8 hundred million in
Japan, America and Europe are rich and the
remaining 4.6 billion are struggling in the
sea of acute poverty." (Chunichi Shinbun,
April 30, 1992) It is as clear as crystal
that if our planet does not have enough resources
to give the 4.6 billion people in
the developing countries the same affluent
life the G-7 enjoy, then there must be
a drastic change in our views of life and, of
the world.
Fukuda suggests that we reevaluate
the Edo Period when our ancestors developed
and practiced ways to live in a geographically,
politically and intellectually
limited world. Fukuda writes, "If we define
the spirit of the Modern Age as endless
development, the spirit of the Edo
Period will be referred to as continuation
of the limited."
I cannot suggest any easy solutions but
I can say this at least. We have to educate
ourselves, especially the younger generation,
to be prepared for a more frugal and
humble life. We should give improvement
of the environment the highest priority,
even at the expense of economic development
and prosperity. Betty Miles (in Save
the Earth) advises us to "think globally and
act locally" when it comes to dealing with
environmental matters.
Due to topography and also to our ancestors'
wisdom and efforts, approximately
70% of our archipelago consists of wooded
areas, the highest in the industrialized
countries. The woods are not only pleasing
to see but are indispensable for storing
and purifying our water supply. Yoichiro
Fujiyoshi, an expert on forestry, reports
that the seemingly healthy forests are now
in serious danger. The number of people engaged
in forestry has sharply decreased in
recent years. In 1960, there were 440,000
people working in the forests, but there
were only 110,000 in 1990 and as many as
68.8% of them are over 50 years old. There
are too few workers and too many old people
to keep the forests well tended.
Maybe we can begin putting Betty
Miles' ideas into practice by contributing


24    MAY 31, 1992    "DAILY WORD" ECHOES

not only money but our efforts as well to
the betterment of the woodlands throughout
Japan. (HISAYA SUGIURA, Anjo)

At the beginning of April, I walked
along the Yamazaki River where the cherry
blossoms were at their best. From Aratama
to Ishikawabashi, about three kilometers,
we enjoyed walking and looking at
the beautiful blossoms and even saw many
carp swimming in the clear stream. At
that time, two other things made me delighted.
One was that my mother, 79 years
old, could walk with me all the way. The
other was that we saw no trash anywhere.
I wonder if there had been some administrative
guidance in that district.
It is an easy matter for people not to
litter but to carry their trash back home, I
think. To decrease air pollution and not to
waste natural resources, let's walk more
and use bicycles as much as possible. To
decrease water pollution, I've been using
natural soap instead of synthetic detergents.
Since writing the above essay, I have
begun to think that individual effort alone
cannot help to recover our destroyed environment.
The warming of the earth, vanishing
of the ozone layer, decreasing of tropical
rain forests, increasing of deserts, sea
pollution and air pollution--these problems
have to be discussed and solved all over
the world. Now, the members of Meikin Seikyo
(Nagoya Cooperative Society), to which
I belong, are trying to measure the degree
of pollution in the environment (NO2 in the
air, SOx in rain, COD in river water). Each
of us who wants to participate will get
the simple instruments to measure such
things in a few weeks. The movement
makes this appeal: "Let's take this opportunity
to consider once more our way of
life after studying the result of our measurement
of pollution in our surroundings."
To tell the truth, Dr. Offner's suggestion of
this theme inspired me to work together
with this movement.
(YOSHIKO TOYOTA, Kanie, Aichi)

The color of green is easily recognized
as the symbol of environmental protection.
Most of the time, greenery is directly related
to mountains covered with many
trees. After the death of Showa Tenno, April
29th was renamed "Green Day". Before
that it was called the Emperor's Birthday.
This is an indication that even many Japanese
are concerned about the environmental
situation.
It is easy for us to say that protecting
the environment is important and also to
criticize some authorities and companies
which have been connected with destroying
the environment. But it is not enough only
to criticize the government, companies or
other people. If we pay attention to our
own life-style, we will realize that we also
have been unconsciously destroying the
environment.
Now we live in an affluent society.
Sometimes it is very convenient. We can
obtain almost anything without any difficulty.
Therefore, we easily throw away
things when they become out of order.
Frankly speaking, we'd like to have them
repaired, but it is more costly to repair
them than to buy new items. Another example
is using plastic or paper plates only
once. This is convenient for the fast food
industry and may also be more sanitary,
but it results in a waste of natural resources.
Preserving the environment requires
us to bear a heavy burden.
(MASAMI NAGATA, Mizuho, Nagoya)

Personally, I have never been involved
in the pollution of nature, but there is one
thing that has begun to worry me. To the
east of my house, there is a group of pine


MAY 31, 1992    "DAILY WORD" ECHOES    25

trees. Until a few months ago, that place
seemed to be a kind of sanctuary for wild
birds. Every time I passed by and saw many
birds come and perch on branches, I hoped
this small area of nature would remain in
tact. One day, however, we saw it bulldozed
to make a parking lot. The incident
seemed to shock even my son so that he
came to me quite troubled when he saw no
trees there.
Although it was just a small area of
land, it reminded us that the name of our
area, Torimi, literally meaning "bird-viewing"
must have come from the fact that a
large number of birds of various kinds
came to this area. I do not know exactly
why that plot of land has been made into a
parking lot, but one reason may be that
there is an acute shortage of parking lots
in a large city. A high municipal tax on
that land may be another. I do not have any
solution to this problem, but I feel sorry
the greenery of a city is disappearing, little
by little.
(TOMOYASU KIMURA, Nishi, Nagoya)

In the past, the islands of Japan were
noted for their natural scenic beauty and
we were proud of them, but recently such
places are decreasing due to the resort development
law which was passed by the
government some years ago. The resort development
law in these small islands has
been a failure. As people in advanced countries,
including Japan, have sought more
convenient, satisfying lives, various kinds
of pollution have been spreading all over
the world. The status of Japan is the worst
of all. Due to global warming and acid rain,
crops are damaged and cedar trees in the
woods die. Many trees in woods are cut
down to make golf courses, resort hotels
and resort mansions everywhere in Japan.
The result is that some insects, wild
plants, birds, animals, and so on are nearly
at the point of extinction.
I am afraid that some Japanese people
are becoming rude and losing their manners
and morals with the destruction of
nature and the excessive use of dirty money.
We must make every effort not to cause
pollution around us in our daily lives. The
government, business enterprises, banks,
etc. have a serious responsibility. I wish
to appeal to the government of Japan not
to develop and destroy our priceless, beautiful
nature anymore. We must preserve
our health by ourselves, choosing agricultural
products grown without chemicals
and organic foods as much as possible.
Moreover, Beethoven's (German) pastoral
(Den-en, in Japanese) symphony, Schubert's
(Austrian) Trout (Masu, in Japanese)
and Vivaldi's (Italian) Four Seasons (Shiki,
in Japanese), are chamber music which reflect
the natural beauty of that time. Hagoromo
Takeshima, a lyrist and my former
teacher at Seishin College in Tokyo composed
many poems regarding nature. One
of them titled, "The River Sumida" (Sumida-gawa,
in Japanese), is one of the Ministry
of Education's songs.
Nature, by the grace of God, gives us
refreshment in mind and body. We have a
solemn responsibility to preserve nature,
which is a very valuable resource.
(TAMAKO MORIMOTO, Tsuyama)

*************************

May 5 Message (Subject #217):

Today, May 5th, the fourth public holiday
in the week ending today, marks the end
of the so-called Golden Week in Japan. Now
called Children's Day, it was previously celebrated
as tango no sekku, the special festival
day for boys. In 1951, it was established


26    MAY 31, 1992    "DAILY WORD" ECHOES

as a national holiday emphasizing
respect for the character of all children
and to promote their health and happiness
For those who enjoy writing essays in
I am suggesting the theme of Children
for your essay this week What do you think
of the present status of children in Japan?
How does it compare to the time when you
were a child? Do you think children today
are happier and healthier than previously?
Do you think there is any discrimination
between boys and girls in Japanese society
today? What can be done to promote the
healthier development of children? In biblical
thought, all people may be considered
children of Cod, but those who consciously
put their faith in Cod as their heavenly Father
are especially recognized as such.

*************************

When I was a child, Japan was a poor
country. Barefoot children in rags were
seen here and there. Children who could
go to middle school (junior high school
now) were few. Now, children all wear
nice clothes and most of them go to senior
high school, beyond compulsory education.
Education must be adjusted to meet the
demands of the age. In this advanced age,
the educational level must be raised. Especially
in Japan, the education system
puts too much emphasis on acquiring factual
knowledge and the development of individuality
takes second place. Certainly,
it is necessary for this advanced technological
society to have many highly educated
workers, but we should reconsider
whether children today are really happier
and healthier than previously.
We remember the proverb, "Strike
while the iron is hot". It is desirable for
capable children to study hard to develop
their ability while their brains are adaptable,
but even for them it may be quite a
burden to go to some cram schools to prepare
for the entrance examination of difficult
schools. In senior high school, some
subjects are obviously difficult. Studying
subjects too difficult to understand is a
cause of misery and anguish for some children.
As a result, we see many deplorable
situations--student apathy, refusal to attend
school, school violence, drop-outs, juvenile
delinquency, etc.
These days, many mothers go off to
work, leaving their children alone at home.
Our expanded economy has come to expect
women to work outside the home as part of
the labor force and women themselves try
to exercise their full ability outside the
home. This trend is quite understandable,
but I dare say mothers should try to stay
at home as much as possible to take care
of their children until they go to college. I
hear in Western countries fathers take
greater responsibility than mothers in
bringing up their children. Fathers try to
return home early in the evening and try to
instruct them on how to face life. I do not
know how successful they are, but I know
here in Japan, traditionally, mothers have
had more responsibility than fathers. Fathers
have been too busy at work to come
home early. lf mothers are away from home
and neglect their duty to their children,
how much the situation will be aggravated!
Today, many children spend hours watching
TV or playing computer games. So-called
Nintendo kids have become popular. Japanese
children, once strictly disciplined, are
left without supervision. Many young Japanese
do not know manners and are quite insensitive
to the needs of others. In this
prosperous society, children have been
spoiled and given too many things. They
have become self-centered and lack a
sense of gratitude. How can we expect
such children to make a better future for


MAY 31, 1992    "DAILY WORD" ECHOES    27

the world as well as for our country?
Now we adults should realize that the
present situation is not desirable for the
healthy development of children and make
every possible effort to improve it. We
should improve our method of education
which puts too much emphasis on acquiring
factual knowledge. We should recognize
differences of ability and talent and understand
that no equality is guaranteed concerning
latent power. Parents should try to
make their homes happy ones where children
will grow up in a healthy way, physically
and spiritually. We should amend our
commercialism and realize it is wrong to
manipulate children to buy new things in
order to make money. In the developing
countries, children are just left in misery.
We should humble ourselves and teach our
children to become good citizens in this
global age.
(MICHIKO KAWAMURA, Meguro, Tokyo)

According to the latest report, the number
of children under 15 years of age in Japan
was 21.6 million on April 1st, which is
17.4 percent of the total population. This
percentage is the lowest on record after
the war, having decreased for 14 successive
years. Only Germany and Italy have a
lower percentage. The reasons for this
trend are, needless to say, an increased
longevity and a declining birthrate, which
is under 1.5 children per woman today.
As a result of this decrease in the number
of children, they are brought up indulgently
with a loose rein, both at home and
in society. These days, we seldom observe
a child lying at full length on the floor
near the toy-corner of a department store
tearfully demanding what he wants. It is
not because children have become docile,
but because their parents promptly buy
things for them or they are rich enough to
buy the things themselves with their own
pocket money. According to a survey by the
Tokai Bank, the average annual income of
school children is 49,000 .yen and 90 percent
of them have their own savings with
an average balance of 260,000 yen. The
survey also reported that more than 70
percent have their own room. The "Declaration
of Children's Rights" is now being deliberated
in the Diet. The spirit of the Declaration
is: "Children are not only objects
to be protected, but also subjects to exercise
their rights" (my translation). The
Declaration includes the provision of "a
child's right to express his or her opinion".
Many people entertain misgivings about
this provision, thinking that it will result
in an overindulgence of children.
There is said to be a similar decrease
in the number of children in China today,
though the reason is somewhat different
from ours. In order to control overpopulation,
the Chinese government is carrying
out an "only one child" policy. The only one
children are on the receiving end of all the
attention of the parents. The "only one
child" in China is now called sho-kotei, or
"little emperor" because such a child is
overindulged. When we were young, families
with only one child were the exception.
Through contact with brothers and
sisters, children learned how to get along
with others and how to quarrel cleverly.
Regarding children's communication
with others, the present "school-career
society" has deprived children of their
playing time. In former days, when a child
wanted to play, he visited his friend's
house and shouted asobimasho ("let's play")
from outdoors and if the friend was busy
doing something, he answered ato de ("afterwards)
from inside. Today children are
all busy attending juku, or cram schools,
and have difficulty finding time for playing
with others. I hear that they make an
appointment for playing with others by


28    MAY 31, 1992    "DAILY WORD" ECHOES

telephone today. It seems also a hard
world to live in for children.
(MIKIHIKO YOSHIMOTO, Gifu)

Today, May the 5th, tango no sekku, is
the last holiday of the Golden Week this
year. I can see a little carp streamer at
the entry way next door on the ninth floor
of my apartment house. It is very windy
accompanied by rain off and on. Even people
who live in the lower world cannot
hoist carp streamers outside. I like carp
streamers very much. When I was a child,
a little pinwheel on the top moving round
attracted me especially. I used to make kazaguruma
out of colored paper, beans and
chopsticks. Many parents of boys decorated
warrior dolls in their rooms.
Since this day was established as a
national holiday, "Children's Day", all people
have been emphasizing respect for both
boys and girls and promoting their health
and happiness. As hinamatsuri on March 3rd
is celebrated for girls only, there seems to
be some discrimination between boys and
girls. In this case, girls seem to be happier
than boys. However, many parents in Japan
hope to have boys rather than girls, unless
they have boys already. Some parents who
stick to old customs expect their sons to
advance to universities and their daughters
to prepare to be prospective brides
after their graduation from high school. I
am sure their affection to each of their
children is equal, but they are more concerned
about the future of their sons than
of their daughters. They may have some
unspecified expectations of their sons and
their families. Of course, I don't understand
such matters well for I am an outsider. But
I was surprised and shocked to hear of the
man who grieved when his fourth daughter
was born, saying, "Fie, another girl!" His
poor wife apologized, gomen nasai for not
having given birth to a boy. If their children
had all been boys, the mother would
not have had such a mean opinion of herself.
And this man had never read Little
Women by Louisa May Alcott. Years passed
and I am happy to know this man loves his
youngest daughter very much.
My sister and her husband in Fukushima
have two sons and two daughters. Their father
hoped they would form a home choir,
tenor, soprano, bass and alto in the future.
I am sorry to say they left their home, one
by one, before that wonderful plan was realized.
Those brothers and sisters happened
to gather with their children at
their parents' home last summer. They
sang, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" in
the four parts. I was there also. Their
parents looked very happy when they listened
to the hymn well-harmonized by
their four children, Morimichi, Junko,
Sadamichi and Kuniko.
I have no children of my own, but I
have many pupils whom I taught long ago.
Some of them are as old as my nephews
and nieces. How happy I am to pray for
them. My parents are no longer with me
now, but I believe in our Heavenly Father
who is with me forever. What a happy
child of God I am!
(KAZUKO TAGUCHI, Fukushima)

Thanks to many people, our children
have reached the ages of 18 and 13. As I
myself am a childish person, I cannot feel
children are so lovely. According to Dr.
Offner's book, Daily Word, Emerson said,
"There never was a child so lovely but his
mother was glad to get him asleep."
The year before last, I met Mrs. Kato
and then four high school classmates last
summer. Mrs. Kato said, "There never was
a good child." Mrs. Ukigai said, "Even if
our daughter marries in the future, I am
afraid she will get divorced because she
seems too selfish toward us parents." Incidentally,


MAY 31, 1992    "DAILY WORD" ECHOES    29

all of us have a daughter or
two. We quite agreed with her impression
at that time. Indeed, children these days
are affluent in regard to food and clothes,
compared to when we were children.
In conclusion, I think raising children
is difficult, not only for me but for many
others, both mothers and fathers. I think
camping is a suitable experience for children
today. (YASUKO IZUMI, Seto)

Japan and other developed countries
have been concerned about their declining
birthrates, but from the global point of
view, the population explosion is a scary
problem. I'm not sure of the world population
now, but it is estimated to be 10 billion
by 2050, which is almost double the
present population. The rapidly increasing
population will cause many problems: a
shortage of farmland, water supply and
living facilities. It will directly affect
the lifestyle of human beings.
Family planning is an urgent task in
under-developed countries. These countries
have been concerned about the population
explosion. It is understandable to
me why these countries seek to restrict
the number of births but, on the other
hand, developed countries including Japan,
encourage higher birthrates by subsidizing
third children.
I feel there is a consequent forcing of
poor countries to curb their population
while, on the other hand, rich countries
have the opposite policy. I think most
plans have been decided by rich countries'
circumstances.
(MASAMI NAGATA, Mizuho, Nagoya)

Recently I feel that children live in a
less natural surrounding than before. The
place where I was raised has been changed.
Trees, brooks, hills and fields have vanished.
There are many houses and a wide
road. I feel like Urashima Taro in the Japanese
fairy tale or Rip Van Winkle in Washington
Irving's story whenever I go there.
I can see my native place now only in a
dream. How do children live there now? I
am sorry to think of children who cannot
see flowering plants, butterflies, dragonflies
or cicada in nature around them.
I have another observation about the
pitiable situation regarding children. I
read what a woman who has children two
and four years of age wrote. Her friend's
children are the same age as hers, but they
have special training in order to enter a
famous kindergarten or elementary school.
She opposes the present tendency to put
pressure on children. Her children say that
they say good-by to the sun when it gets
dark because the sun is alone and lonely.
She is proud of her children. I agree with
her and think that something has gone
wrong in our lives.
(MICHIKO SANO, Minami, Nagoya)

I was dumbfounded when I read the results
of an international survey published
by the Management and Coordination Agency
in 1987. Most Japanese mothers, 94.3
percent to be exact, thought that their children
were happier than they had been in
their childhood! It was by far the highest
percentage among the six countries surveyed--Japan,
the United States, Britain,
France, Thailand and Korea. In the United
States, a mere 61.3 percent of the mothers
thought so. I wanted to know on what
grounds so many Japanese mothers considered
their children happier but, unfortunately,
I could find no explanation in the report.
It is true that today's children in Japan
are living in a much more affluent society
than the one in which we of the older generation
lived when young. Thanks to remarkable
advancements in science and technology,
our lives have become more efficient

30    MAY 31, 1992    "DAILY WORD" ECHOES
and comfortable. Physically speaking, our
sons and daughters are taller and look
healthier. Few children have a runny nose
nowadays. Personally, I think our children
are living a very precarious life and, consequently,
their future is as bleak as ever.
A few years ago, a Japanese scientist
whose name I forget, published the sensational
theory that the average life span of
future generations will be around 40 years.
Many people scoffed at his hypothesis,
pointing out that men and women in Japan
enjoy the longest life expectancy of all
countries in the world and that medical
science and health care will surely help
the Japanese keep this honorable position
in the longevity Olympics.
According to that Japanese scientist,
those Japanese who were born after 1955
cannot expect to live as long as those born
in the preceding years. His reasons were:
1) A radical change in life style--eating
habits, housing conditions, means of transportation,
less physical work and more
mental and psychological stress, etc. and
2) Environmental deterioration--polluted
air and water, noise, etc.
For thousands of years, the inhabitants
of the Japanese archipelago lived on a simple
diet--mainly rice, fresh vegetables,
small fish, which they ate whole, and seaweed.
Their meals were low in calories,
rich in vegetable fiber and minerals. They
ate little meat or fat. Their diet was ideal,
in a sense. People in their seventies and
eighties consumed those traditional foods
during their young days and worked hard
from morning till night. It is these people
who are statistically raising the average
life span of the Japanese people. There is
no assurance that the younger generation
will be able to live that long.
A dentist in Sendai reported on the radio
a couple of months ago that more and
more children have underdeveloped jawbones
which cause irregular teeth and, in
some cases, two or three fewer permanent
teeth than normal. Children now prefer to
eat softer foods than to chew tough ones,
which is the main reason for their enervated
jawbones. Some say children's avidity
for gulping soft drinks is also making
their bones fragile and brittle. It is no
news nowadays that children break their
legs when jumping down from a low chair.
Japanese children are now living an unhealthier
life, physically as well as psychologically.
Take sleeping hours, for instance.
The same survey mentioned above
reported that Japanese children sleep 8
hours 24 minutes a day while their American
counterparts sleep 9 hours 6 minutes.
Only 4.4 percent of the Japanese children
slumber for ten hours or more but a whopping
21.9 percent of American youths fall
into this category. Compared with Americans,
Japanese boys and girls spend far
less time helping their families. A scant
2.4 percent of Japanese children help their
own family two hours or more per day,
whereas a significant 22.3 percent of
American youngsters gave up that amount
of their time for their family. Healthy attitudes
of sacrificing one's time and energy
and, if necessary, even one's life are nurtured
in the family. It is no wonder that
only 32.2 percent of Japanese teenagers
are involved in volunteer work while a remarkable
60.7 percent of Americans are
working for the welfare of other people.
It is time that we gave serious thought
to reforming our materially oriented lives
so that we might make our children happier
and healthier, both physically and spiritually.
(HISAYA SUGIURA, Anjo)

May 5 was the last holiday of the Golden
Week. The weather was as fine as fine
could be. Here in Miura, carps were swimming
in the air. The greenery in the woods


MAY 31, 1992    "DAILY WORD" ECHOES    31

and mountains far away was bright in the
sun. The city looked rather quiet, but more
cars were out than usual and the main
street seemed jammed. Radio and television
were repeatedly reporting on traffic
conditions in all the crowded cities.
On such a day, staying at home and
watching television is the best policy, so I
watched several programs about children.
Looking back on my childhood, I think children
have changed. These days, many children
look neat and pretty. They are loved
and cared for. They look healthy and happy.
Are they really so?
Children seem to be busier than I was.
Coming home after school, I used to eat
some refreshments and then, leaving my
school bag in the house, I went outside and
played and played with friends in the neighborhood
till it was dark. But now I don't
see children playing outside. Some go to
juku(another school) to learn shuji, soroban,
take piano lessons, etc. Once I heard
one girl ask another, "Can you play now?"
meaning "Do you have any leisure time to
play?" It is just the same in other cities
in Japan. Children are busy because their
mothers want them to go to juku or because
their friends do so. "Refusing to go to
school" is a major problem raised in telephone
consultations. From this, violence
in the family occurs.
At night on Children's Day, I watched a
very interesting program. Fourteen children
(7 years of age) were answering, one
by one, the question, "What is most important
to you?" "Money," "My family," "My
pet" were some of the answers. Three
children said, "Kokoro." What kind of kokoro?
"Yasashii, giving love." Hearing this, I
thought children were healthy, mentally
and emotionally.
This year, too, it was a good day.
(KIMI KONDO, Miura)

In Japan, May 5 is designated Children's
Day and marks the conclusion of
"Golden Week", a holiday-studded week beginning
on April 29, the Day of Greenery.
All Japanese seem happy about this long
holiday period, but I wonder if many people
stop to think about their children.
Are children happier now than previously?
They must be happy about the material
wealth of present-day Japan, but I am
afraid that they are in a more difficult situation
than when I was a small child. They
are surrounded by conveniences, such as
electric calculators, electronic diaries and
personal computers, which some of them
seem to be better able to operate than
adults. Children today also have many more
things to play with: video games, various
kinds of card games and so on. More and
more parks and amusement facilities are
being built. The trouble is, however, that
children are too busy and are "blessed"
with too many convenient things.
Have you noticed that many children
look tired because of going to juku too often?
One of my former students who lost
her enthusiasm to study in her high school
days said that she had to go to a different
private lesson every day of the week, so
she did not play outside after school with
her friends. Although I thought she was a
very talented girl, I felt very sorry for her
because she had completely lost her eagerness
to study any subject. Today I talked
with some junior and senior high school
girls who said it is difficult to find time
to read the Bible because they are too busy
preparing their lessons for juku. I wonder
if there are not many children today who
are too busy to live a happy life, who have
less and less time to play in parks even
though more and more parks are being built.
My children do not go to a juku, but my
wife says she sometimes feels pressured
to send them because many parents in our


32    MAY 31, 1992    "DAILY WORD" ECHOES

neighborhood begin sending their children
to juku when they become third-graders.
This kind of social pressure may be peculiar
to Japan, so we look forward to the
time we go to Britain where we can allow
our children to develop as they should.
(TOMOYASU KIMURA, Nishi, Nagoya)

On Children's Day we went to see the
movie, Shimanto River. I have often wanted
to visit that river, which is often introduced
in magazines or on television as one
of the clearest in Japan. So I chose this
movie for the simple reason that I wanted
to view scenes of the beautiful landscapes
along the river. As I expected, the shots of
it and its surroundings were splendid.
Besides, the story which used the Shimanto
River as the background was cheerful
and warmhearted. The life of the children
living in the village along the river in
Showa 30 reminded me of my childhood.
They were very poor and had to work hard
to help their parents after school or, at
times, couldn't go to school because they
had to work at home. But between jobs,
they played in the river, swimming or fishing,
and went running in the mountains or
fields. Sometimes they disobeyed their
parents or teachers, took care of younger
siblings and comforted their friends or elderly
persons. This warmhearted movie reminded
me of my hometown and my childhood.
Almost everyday I had to stop playing
and prepare my family's supper since I
was in third grade.
Nevertheless, how lazy my children,
who are over twenty years old, have become.
(YOSHIKO TOYOTA, Kanie, Aichi)

I think the present status of children
in Japan is not so good, even though they
have been protected by the Children's Charter
since 1951. Circumstances in presentday
Japan are not good for children.
When I was a child, there were no kidnappers,
but we were warned of them to
keep us from coming home late in the evening.
Recently, there are frequently abductions
or murders aimed at gaining money
for the perpetrators. Present society has
changed for the worse. I recall an abduction
in America about 50 years ago. A boy,
a little less than two years old, the son of
Charles Lindbergh, was kidnapped for ransom.
Children in Japan today are worried
about traffic accidents, abductions and
bullies at school.
Children are less happy and less
healthy than previously. These days, wellfed
and overweight children sometimes suffer
from diabetes, myocardial infarction
or high blood pressure just like adults. Recently,
there is no discrimination between
boys and girls. Girls are rough-spoken as
well as boys. (Note: In Japanese, there is often
a distinction between women's words
and men's words.) Boys study domestic
science courses relating to cooking or sewing
along with girls, which will be good
for those boys in the future. The phrase
which has been repeated since old times,
"Men don't come into the kitchen", has disappeared
nowadays. Children are busy
practicing and going to cram schools after
school until dark. To my surprise, sex
education is being offered to children at
school recently. This is quite amazing to
the older generation.
Children had better develop the habit
of getting up early and taking their meals
punctually. They should not overeat and
not stay at home playing television games,
but go outdoors. How, when and where has
the authority of fathers been lost recently?
The phrase, "Earthquake, thunder, fire
and father (Jishin, kaminari, kaji, oyaji, in
Japanese) has vanished unnoticed. Father
is the fourth among things to be dreaded.
Fathers must maintain more authority and


MAY 31, 1992    "DAILY WORD" ECHOES    33

dignity for their children. They are so gentle
these days that they spare the rod. Parents
are the mirror of children, or the child
is father of the man. Parents must recognize
their serious responsibility toward
their dear children.
(TAMAKO MORIMOTO, Tsuyama)

*************************

April 4 Message Excerpt:

A silhouette is a profile portrait cut
out of black paper One day when my wife
and I were visiting a sightseeing spot in
China, a young man approached us and
while walking alongside of me, began cutting
a piece of black paper with a small
pair of scissors He manipulated the scissors
with one hand while holding the paper
in the other as we walked along. After finishing
cutting, he pasted the black cutout
on a piece of heavy pink paper and showed
it to me. It was my silhouette, in which
my glasses and beard were clearly
He wanted me to pay him for it, which I
did. I was amazed at his skill in cutting
out that facial form as we walked along.

*************************

I read the April 4 message with some
interest because I had a similar experience--not
in China but in England. While
studying in Manchester, Yoko and I made it
a practice to go on a coach tour every week
end and Blackpool was one of the most interesting
spots we visited. When we entered
the entertainment section of the city
we were approached by a middle-aged woman
who cut a piece of black paper with a
small pair of scissors at my request. After
finishing cutting, she quickly pasted the
black cutout on a piece of heavy white paper
and showed it to me. It was our silhouette,
in which my glasses and Yoko's hat
were clearly visible. This silhouette is on
the first page of an album related to our
stay in England between 1981 and 1982.
(TOMOYASU KIMURA, Nishi, Nagoya)

*************************

April 20 Message Excerpt:

There are many kinds of knives. In the
kitchen, chefs may use a paring knife, a
bread knife or a butcher knife and butchers
use large meat cleavers to cut thick pieces
of meat in the Rongo (Analects of Confucius)
we find the statement, Niwatori o sakuni
izukunzo gyuto o mochiin, Why use a
meat cleaver to cut up a chicken?

*************************

The message of April 20 reminded me
of an interesting experience Yoko and I had
in Manchester, England. One day, Yoko hit
upon the idea of cooking a Japanese dish
called yakiniku grilled with ginger. We
went to a nearby meat shop and the friendly
butcher agreed to slice a thick piece of
pork when Yoko asked him to cut it as thinly
as possible. With his butcher knife,however,
he was unable to slice the meat as
thinly as we had hoped. It was too thick
for yakiniku so Yoko changed her mind and
cooked a pork cutlet, which suited the
palate of our guests.
(TOMOYASU KIMURA, Nishi, Nagoya)

*************************

April 25 Message Excerpt:

Both sides of the narrow street were
lined with people. As the car passed in


34    MAY 31, 1992    "DAILY WORD" ECHOES

front of me, my eyes met those of the smiling
Empress who was waving her hand in
greeting behind the closed window. After
the car had passed by, I wondered if I had
only imagined a humorous glint in her eye
as I realized that this one, tallish, big-nosed
foreigner was the only one who
bowed in greeting while all her Japanese
compatriots were waving their hands.

*************************

It was nice that you were able to see
the Empress in Nagoya. I also saw Princess
Michiko and Prince Akihito previously.
As I have written before, when I was a college
student, I went to a cooking school in
the evening. On that day also I went to
that school near Higashiyama.
After getting off the city bus, when I
tried to cross the street to enter the building,
I saw a big crowd along both sides of
the street. Soon I realized that the Prince
and Princess would pass along that street
on their way back from a visit to the old
people's home near Higashiyama Zoo. After
a while, I saw the big, black automobile in
which Princess Michiko and Prince Akihito
were riding. I remember that her face was
almost pink and I suddenly felt very happy
simply because I was able to see her. Perhaps
Dr. Offner felt that way too. But I
cannot remember whether the automobile
window was closed or not at that time because
it was so long ago and for just one
moment. (YASUKO IZUMI, Seto)

*************************

May 2 Message Excerpt:

For foreigners studying Japanese, the
complicated writing system in which
Chinese characters are used is a formidable
stumbling block. The presence or
absence of one little line or a single dot
may completely change the meaning of a
character.

************************

Here is one opinion related to the May
2nd message, in which you said, "the presence
or absence of one little line or a single
dot may completely change the meaning
of a character." It is just as you said and
I agree. For example, the location of even
a single dot changes the meaning of a character.
As you know, if the dot is in the
lower part of the character meaning big,
the character is pronounced ta or futoi, but
when it is written in the upper right part,
it changes to inu, meaning dog. When one
line is drawn from left to right on the upper
part, the character is changed to mean
sky in English, or ten in Japanese. Ten means
ozora. But when the one line is drawn from
right to left, it is pronounced yo in Japanese
and it isn't easy to distinguish this
character from the one pronounced ten in
Japanese, meaning sky in English.
Now I recognize that our Chinese characters
are very complicated, but we have
funny methods of remembering the characters.
I'll tell you one of them, Sakaeta kiga
karete, mushi ga waita. Nan to iu mushi ka.
After a growing tree withers, insects breed
there. Do you know what kind of insects they
are? Without a knowledge of Chinese characters,
one will not know the answer to
this question, which is fireflies in English,
or hotaru, in Japanese. If the character for
"tree" is removed and the character for "insect"
is put in its place, the resultant character
means firefly. And if a bird ate the
insect, do you know what kind of bird it
is? Of course, it is the Japanese nightengale,
or uguisu. These days, I've been enjoying
creating these funny puzzle questions


MAY 31, 1992    "DAILY WORD" ECHOES    35

by myself. How happy I am!
(HYOWAY OHWAY, Kami, Hyogo)

***************************

May 12 Message Excerpt:

Alcoholics Anonymous makes it a practice
to avoid the use of family names in
its meetings so that the identity of members
can he hidden to avoid embarrassment.
Mutual encouragement among those suffering
with problems related to alcoholism
and practical suggestions for those who
recognize their weakness and inability to
overcome their addiction by themselves
are given at AA meetings.

*************************

Sen-no-Rikyu (1522-91), the greatest
tea-ceremony master, once said, "With one
cup of sake, a person drinks sake; with two
cups, sake absorbs sake; with three, sake
swallows a person." Rikyu seems to have
warned us of the danger of excessive drinking.
In Japan, some insist that "Sake is the
best of all medicines" as a well-known
proverb goes and others vehemently oppose
that idea by saying, "Sake is mad-water",
meaning that sake is a liquid which makes
people mad. But Japanese people, in general,
are overindulgent toward drinking and
intoxication in public.
I remember a story told me by a former
soldier who had participated in a campaign
in China. When they had occupied a
certain city, the Japanese officers were invited
to dinner by the Chinese chief priest
of a temple in that city. At the beginning
of a sumptuous dinner, the priest, who had
been educated at a Japanese university,
started speaking in impeccable Japanese
to the enemy officers. They became infuriated
when they heard him say that of all
the peoples in Asia, the Chinese are firstclass
while the Japanese are a third-rate
race! The reason he gave was that Japanese
tend to get drunk and behave ungentlemanly
in public, but no Chinese would do such a
mean thing. Before retiring, he added that
he had dared to voice some offending remarks
only because he wanted the victorious
soldiers to help themselves to the victuals
and drinks with out the raucous quarrels
and fights which often occurred at Japanese
drinking parties.
Dr. Takao Tanaka, a psychopathologist,
conducted a survey of the drinking habits
of the inhabitants of Akeno-mura, Yamanashi-ken,
in 1980. The survey revealed that
58.8 percent of the people made at least
some use of alcoholic beverages. Far more
males drank than females as was expected:
77.4 % and 36.8% respectively. As far as
adult males are concerned teetotalers are
in a decided minority in Japan.
I am of the opinion that so long as people
drink moderately and occasionally, enjoying
the euphoric atmosphere stimulated
by a glass or two of liquor, there may be
no serious problem. But drinking can become
habitual and one may develop a tolerance
for alcohol which results in drinking
more regularly and larger amounts. Some
unfortunate drinkers become alcoholics
and very few alcoholics are able to return
to controlled drinking. As Alcoholics Anonymous
declares, "Once an alcoholic, always
an alcoholic."
According to Dr. Tanaka, the death rate
of alcoholics is 5.2 times that of the general
public and the average life span of hard
drinkers is only 51.2 years--more than 20
years less than that of the Japanese as a
whole. Other remarkable facts are the
higher death rates of alcoholics who die of
liver cirrhosis (20 times), pneumonia
(14.8), suicide (13.6), etc.


36    MAY 31, 1992    "DAILY WORD" ECHOES

The situation is quite similar in the U.
S. About 70 percent of all adults drink alcoholic
beverages (Kenneth L. Jones, et al.:
Drugs and Alcohol 1969). Alcohol is believed
to be a chief causal factor in 25 to
50 percent of all fatal traffic accidents.
Many car accidents categorized as "speeding"
or "failure to negotiate a curve" are
actually the result of drinking. Alcoholic
abuse is not only a personal problem but a
momentous social one as well. Costs to
society are tremendous: alcohol-related
accidents, crime, hospitalization, unemployment,
welfare payments to problem
drinkers and their families, etc. (ibid)
Are there good ways to get rid of problem
drinkers? Few people would resort to
prohibition as was attempted in the United
States in the early 1920s--which was a
brave experiment but an utter failure. It
was against human nature as Communism
was. Religions can help as is evident in
the cases of Islam and Mormonism. It is
interesting to note that among Orthodox
Jews and Italians, drinking is common but
the incidence of alcoholism is very low. In
these groups, alcoholic beverages have
firmly established religious and social
traditions. If we try hard to make Japan a
well-educated, industrious and disciplined
society, we can have more moderate and
controlled drinkers and fewer alcoholics.
(HISAYA SUGIURA, Anjo)

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May 15 Message Excerpt:

Karaoke is becoming popular in Japan's
closest neighbor and former colony. Though
the "empty orchestra" fad came from Japan
the music is limited to Korean or American
songs because Japanese songs are still prohibited
in South Korea as a result of the
anti-Japanese sentiment persisting since
the days of Japanese colonial rule.

*************************

I think it is natural for Korean people
not to listen to Japanese popular music because
the music does not have any attraction
for them and because Japanese is not
a common language nor is it taught in Korea.
I sometimes ask friends living in Korea
to send me compact disks produced by Korean
artists and always enjoy listening to
them although I do not understand Korean.
In South Korea, whose president declared
its democratization only three
years ago, it is not yet easy to listen to
most up-to-date American music. Many
countries still impose a ban on such foreign
entertainment as music and teleplays.
The French government censors all television
programs, whether produced domestically
or abroad, with an eye to keeping the
French people under its control. I presume
many people heard a few months ago about
a certain French television station that
had to stop broadcasting because of management
problems generated by fines it
had to pay related to censorship and by a
ban on foreign capital, which indicated to
the world that France is not a democratic
nation. Many Japanese animations exported
to France are considered so improper for
French people that they fail to pass censorship
and stations must cut parts of them
out in order to broadcast them. Censorship
should not be permitted, so Japan, as a democratic
country, should appeal to France to
stop censorship as soon as possible to help
French television stations develop.
(KAZUYOSHI UKAI, Ichinomiya)

66 essays by 19 writers make up this
38th issue of the "Echoes". Thanks to all
for the meaningful contributions. (C.O.)